It has been confirmed by sources close to the Canadian hip hop artist Drake that he has agreed to a deal with Apple to work together on the music service that the company has revamped. This comes after the rumor that he had walked away from partnering with Tidal. Pharrell Williams will reportedly also be joining this soon-to-be disclosed project. It is being exhibited at Apple’s 2015 Worldwide Developer’s Conference in San Francisco, California. It was at this conference that they announced Apple Music is on its way.
Apple Music will be similar to other music streaming companies. Not only will Apple Music have live internet radio, but it will also have on-demand streaming services for those who prefer to listen to their music on playlists.
Drake has come a long way since this image taken in 2009. His name endorsement will be a big push for Apple thanks to his enormous group of followers.
After the announcement, Drake appeared on stage wearing a vintage Apple letterman’s jacket as he high fived Apple’s SVP Eddy Cue. Rumors have gone around stating that when Drake partners with Apple, he will be receiving a nineteen million dollar paycheck. However, sources close to Apple claim that the company doesn’t usually pay artists for this type of collaboration, effectively shooting down the rumor.
Similar to its purchase of Beats by Dre, Apple is not playing around with its product launch. With an endorsement by Drake, its music service is likely to capture a large portion of the music streaming market.
It has also been reported that Drake will release his new up-and-coming album through Apple Music’s Spotify-like program, Connect, that will connect music enthusiasts to their favorite artists. Drake claims that Connect is a simple and “elegant” way for artists and their fans to connect, unlike other confusing methods—namely Spotify and Tidal.
