Say goodbye to Apple Music’s Beats 1 – at least in name. Today, Apple announced that it has rebranded its flagship radio station from Beats 1 to Apple Music 1. It’s a logical move, considering “Beats 1” was the only place Beats branding appeared in the Apple Music service. But on the other hand, the station has been around for more than five years, and Apple calls it “one of the most listened to radio stations in the world.” However, it should be easy for regular listeners to make the transition, and the Apple Music brand at this point is strong enough to be the name for the company’s flagship offering.
Apple Music is also launching a few new, very mainstream stations today. Apple Music Hits will, as you might expect, concentrate on the greatest songs of the ’80s,’ 90s, and 2000s, something that implies that it will not focus on newer music. The show will be hosted in a similar way to Apple Music 1; hosts are Sayde Donovan, Estelle, Lowkey, Jenn Marino, George Stroumboulopoulos, Sabi, Nicole Sky and Natalie Sky. There are also artist-leading shows by Backstreet Boys, Ciara, Mark Hoppus, Huey Lewis, Alanis Morissette, Snoop Dogg, Meghan Trainor, Shania Twain and more. That gives you a pretty good idea of what kind of music you can expect here.
