Apple’s upcoming iRadio music streaming service will feature virtual radio stations akin to Pandora’s, according to a new report, but will differ in selling “highly targeted” interstitial audio ads and onscreen ads using the iOS iAds service. Advertisers will be able to target users based on location, as well as entertainment tastes, due to Apple’s collection of user data from the device and iTunes account.
These ads would conceivably be more pricey and desirable than Pandora ads, which can’t target users as specifically, relying on only several comparatively basic pieces of information. Selling ads and songs through iTunes will reportedly enable Apple to offer the service for free to iOS users, though it’s unknown if there will be a subscription-based alternative without ads.
If the report is accurate, iRadio will notably not include on-demand song selection, which Spotify offers to mobile users who pay a monthly fee. [via Ad Age]
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