Is Apple gearing for a summer launch for an iRadio service?

It's long been rumored that Apple would be launching their own radio streaming service similar to the likes of Pandora and Spotify sometime in 2013. Now according to the Verge, Apple may be gearing for a summer launch for their iRadio service.

Streaming radio services have long been struggling to make a profit and manage revenue streams. According to the sources inside the industry, Apple is in talks with Warner and Universal on streaming agreements:

Much has been written about Apple's plan to launch a Pandora-esque service this year. Now multiple music industry insiders have told The Verge that significant progress has been made in the talks with two of the top labels: Universal and Warner. One of the sources said "iRadio is coming. There's no doubt about it anymore." Apple is pushing hard for a summertime launch.

When and if iRadio happens, it'll be interesting to see how Apple implements it and how pricing would work. It probably isn't likely that record labels would negotiate free deals unless they're advertisement based, which Apple may not be a fan of. How much would you pay to have native streaming on your iOS devices and Apple TV? And how much content would Apple have to have to make you switch from your current streaming service?

Source: The Verge

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