Apple Music launches three new live radio stations
In a world of AI DJs and generated music slop, Apple Music is doubling down on "live" radio - with some of it pre-recorded but still hosted by humans. Apple Music 1 host and Apple Music’s global creative director even commented on Apple Music Radio's difference. “In a world of AI and algorithms, Apple Music Radio is live. It’s real people, it’s a shared event," he says, which is an interesting official quote considering just how important Apple sees AI for the iPhone and other products.
The three new stations, launched today, bring new options for listeners looking for Apple's brand of human-curated radio. The stations are:
- Apple Música Uno: Latin music from around the world, focusing on new and current releases, including Música Mexicana and reggaetón, tropical, Latin pop, and more. The station is hosted by Becky G, followed by Evelyn Sicairos and Lechero. Rauw Alejandro and Grupo Frontera have special shows of their own. On-air talent will speak Spanish and English.
- Apple Music Club: Dance and electronic music with a focus on global club culture, hosted by Tim Sweeney and NAINA.
- Apple Music Chill: Mood-focused music for respite, wellbeing, and ease, interspersed with "mindful moments" to remind listeners to find center and remain calm, hosted by Sabi with shows from Brian Eno, Stephan Moccio, and Zane Lowe.
The fact that Apple is launching more live radio is a promising sign, with new shows and hosts. This includes Apple Música Uno, which will focus on Latin music with Spanish and Portuguese language music and hosts.
But Apple Music Radio in general has become more stretched and the original human-curation mission statement has faded a little over time.
While there are still core shows, such as The Zane Lowe Show or The Matt Wilkinson Show, which feature voice-tracking and sometimes live music and interviews, more and more shows on Apple Music radio are just playlists shuffled live. Some playlist programming blocks don't even feature a host at all.
Maybe in Australia we are just unlucky to have mostly automated programming blocks, due to live shows taking primetime slots in American timezones.
Apple describes the new stations in more detail in its press release:
Apple Música Uno speaks directly to the wealth of stylistic diversity in Latin music around the world. The focus will always be on music, specifically what’s new, current, and moving culture — from Música Mexicana and reggaetón, to tropical, Latin pop, and more. Latin superstar Becky G is the station’s official launch host, and fellow luminaries Rauw Alejandro and Grupo Frontera will host special shows of their own. On a daily basis, listeners will be welcomed by Evelyn Sicairos and Lechero, two prominent radio personalities whose passion for music and drawing cross-cultural connections will set the tone and energy for the station as a whole. They will each host their own flagship playlist show five days a week, with Sicairos helming La Oficial Radio, and Lechero taking over ¡Dale Play! Radio. Additional programming will include Puro Pop Radio, informed by the beloved playlist of the same name, while weekend programming will take cues from Cumbia Pa’ La Fiesta, Canciones Caras, and Por Siempre Hits.The first song to air on Apple Música Uno will be Bad Bunny’s new release, “EL CLúB.” Artists will frequently provide track-by-track breakdowns of their own albums, as well as a look into the songs that have most recently inspired them. On-air talent will speak Spanish and English.
Apple Music Club is home to anyone who loves dance and electronic music, as well as club culture. But it’s also more ambitious than that. Whether in Berlin or Brooklyn, London or Tokyo, every party or club night must end at some point. It won’t on Apple Music Club, where mixes from the globe’s most important and forward-thinking DJs and dance floors will be thoughtfully curated into a set that is fully alive, and happening around the clock, every day of the year. Tim Sweeney and NAINA will act as guides, providing context around each mix, which will cover a full spectrum of sounds, from the festival circuit to the underground — all of them also available at any time as DJ Mixes on Apple Music.
Apple Music Chill is an escape, a refuge, a sanctuary in sound — a place listeners can turn to throughout their day. It’s a radio station committed to a mood. Programming will be a continuous flow of chill highlights across genres, interspersed with mindful moments meant to remind listeners to make the time to find center and calm. The aim is to offer respite through expert curation, a place where listeners can feel at ease at any time.Apple Music Chill will kick off with the exclusive premiere of Beck’s new recording of George Harrison’s “Be Here Now,” the first song to air on the station. Listeners will also find the velvety tones of discerning tastemakers like Brian Eno, Stephan Moccio, and Zane Lowe expertly taking them through stories of calm and wellbeing in their own hosted shows, while Apple Music’s Sabi will act as station guide throughout the week.
In a world of autopilot content, it is nice to see Apple Music still seeing value in human hosts and shows. I love Time Crisis, hosted by Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig. But I would also love to see more human influence in shows and maybe even more listener interaction, which is generally absent from "live" Apple Music radio shows, especially pre-recorded ones.
