Back at WWDC 2013 Apple showed off its new music streaming service. Rumors about this service had already been floating around prior to its announcement, it was actually believed to be called iRadio, but Apple decided to go with iTunes Radio. It is quite similar in function to Pandora, some believe that it might even be a Pandora killer. International expansion is an area where Apple has a big advantage over its rival, Bloomberg reports that iTunes Radio is going to be expanded into non-U.S. English speaking countries by early 2014.
Pandora already functions in Australia and New Zealand while iTunes Radio is expected to go live there early next year. It is also expected to launch around the same time in U.K. and Canada, beating Pandora. The reason behind this is believed to be the fact that Apple has agreements for international rights with Universal Music Group as well as other record labels while Pandora does not. It has to rely on rights granted by government entities, which limits its service to a select few markets. Apple’s iTunes Radio service is off to a good start, more than 11 million listeners tried it out in the first five days after launch. Expansion into other countries, coupled with the fact that those countries have millions of customers with Apple devices, may very well see iTunes Radio put a serious dent in Pandora’s user base.
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