Beats, a brand founded by Dr. Dre in 2008, has branched out from high-end headphones to Internet radio. First developed in 2012 under the name “Daisy,” the online music streaming service seems to have blossomed quite nicely and was released on Jan. 21 of this year. Although Internet radio is certainly not an original concept, Beats Music proves to be a worthy competitor to big names like Pandora, Songza and Spotify.
When first starting Beats Music, the user is asked to select artists and genres they like, love and hate. This takes personalizing suggestions a step further than just a thumbs-up button. A “Just for You” page is personalized with full albums and playlists to listen to based on the user’s interests. Even better, Beats Music knows what you don’t like, so if you’re not a fan of a certain artist or genre it will never show up as a suggestion.
Unlike other online radios, Beats Music gives the users total control, allowing them to see every song in a playlist and even skip around. The users can shuffle, fast forward, rewind and put playlists on repeat as well. They can also follow artists they like and make customized playlists. On the Beats Music App, users can listen to music based on a “sentence” they put together from hundreds of mix and match options. So, they will fill in the blanks in the statement “I’m… & feel like… with… to…,” to tell the app to cater a playlist to the listener’s setting, mood, company and music preference. Like its competitor, Songza, Beats Music allows mobile users to listen to music based on moods and activities. Songza offers a larger variety of activities, but only provides four playlists per activity.
Beats Music may have a shorter list of moods and activities, but each category comes with up to 40 playlists. Beats Music also allows users to select songs and playlists to listen to in Offline Mode, which is handy for mobile users trying not to burn up their data and has never been seen from other Internet radio competitors.
Are all these features really worth it? Beats claims its Internet radio is “a completely new way to experience music.” This statement is debatable, but what does set Beats music apart from other top Internet radios is that Beats Music only offers free trials. On their website a seven-day free trial is offered, and a three month free trial is advertised for “eligible AT&T users.” This is a bit misleading, as only new Beats Music Family Plan subscribers will receive their first 90 days free, and Beats Music Individual Plan subscribers will receive their first 30 days free. The Family Plan entails paying $15 per month for five users across 10 devices. The individual plan is $9.99 per month or $119.88 per year for one user across three devices. As mentioned before, most of the top Internet radios are completely free and charge a fraction of the Beats amount for premium service (Pandora One is only $3.99 per month).
Although Beats Music Individual Plan matches the price of Spotify Premium, neither seems to meet the budget for the average college student. Some would have never predicted college students to shell out the outrageous amount of money that Beats asks for their headphones, yet students can be seen all over UT with Beats Headphones wrapped around their necks. Maybe some will still pay for the Beats name, but chances are with so many other free Internet radio options out there, collegiate Beats Music users won’t make it past the free trial.
Selene SanFelice can be reached at selene.sanfelice@spartans.ut.edu