Apple’s continuing negotiations with record labels could prevent the company from debuting its streaming music service by its Worldwide Developers Conference next month, according to a new report. Sony still hasn’t agreed to royalty terms with Apple, and BMG Rights Management, the fourth-largest music publisher, is also said to be holding out.
But Universal Music Group, among other industry heavyweights, would like to see iRadio launch “as soon as possible.”
The article also notes how Google beat Apple to a steaming music service with the launch of Google Play Music All Access. While Google’s service is more of a standard subscription service similar to existing services, Apple is building a hybrid service — streaming with on-demand features.
“Of course [Apple’s] negotiations were going to take longer,” a source said. Apple’s reluctance to pay advances has also reportedly played a role in slowing the pace of negotiations.
