Apple Reportedly In Talks With Russian Music Labels

iTunes Radio at the moment is only available in the US and Australia, hardly the widespread coverage that we’re sure Apple had originally intended, but if the reports are to be believed, Apple could be gearing up for an international launch of the service. This is based on a report from Russian publication Vedomosti (via Billboard) who claims that Apple is currently in talks with Russian labels.

According to the report, it seems that Russia could be amongst the first countries in which Apple will launch its new music service which has been dubbed Apple Music. The company is negotiating with the labels on digital rights to streaming and it is apparently moving along pretty well, although unsurprisingly Apple’s Russian branch did not respond to comments about the claims.

Russia does indeed seem pretty ripe for music streaming. According to numbers given by the IFPI, it seems that streaming in the country has actually grown by 214% to $5.97 million. It also seems that Apple could have an advantage in the country as their competitor, Spotify, decided against launching in the country, citing a variety of reasons why which includes the slowing economy as one of them.

In any case more details about Apple’s rumored relaunch of their music service should be made clear in the next couple of weeks when WWDC 2015 kicks off, so be sure to check back in with us then for the details.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple, Audio, Rumors
Tags: Apple Music, wwdc, wwdc 2015