Former Beats CEO Leaves Apple Abruptly
According to a new published report, the architect of Apple's online radio strategy has resigned two months after the launch of its Beats1 radio service, according to people familiar with the matter. Ian Rogers was part of the executive team that joined Apple last year when the company acquired Beats, the audio group started by Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine, for $3bn.
Since the completion of the deal Rogers has led the development of Apple's Beats1, hiring Zane Lowe, the former BBC radio DJ, as a presenter and crafting an eclectic mix of shows streamed from London, New York and Los Angeles that have been well received by critics and listeners.
The Financial Times reports that the "News of his departure caught colleagues off guard. He is leaving the west coast to work for a Europe-based company in an unrelated industry, people familiar with the situation said.
The departure of one of Apple's most senior music executives will also surprise the music industry, which has pinned its hopes on the success of Apple's music streaming strategy.
Apple said this month that 11m people had signed up for free trials of Apple Music in the first four weeks since its launch. This compares with 75m active users of Spotify, the Swedish music streaming group, which operates an advertising-supported and paid-for service. Pandora, the online radio group, has close to 80m active users." Considering the size of Apple's marketing machine, the failure to hit larger subscriber numbers quicker may have had consequences as seen today.
Is Roger's departure a sign of trouble behind the scenes for Apple Music? While only time will tell, the fact that Apple confirmed that Rogers was leaving but declined to comment means that they were caught off guard. It also means that Roger's departure didn't come with two weeks' notice which translates into the move being designed to be disruptive.
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