Apple Reaches Cloud Music Deal With Sony, Universal Last Major Label Still to Sign

itunes 10 icon 150Following up on news from earlier this week regarding Apple having signed EMI Music to a deal to permit cloud-based music streaming of the label's content, Bloomberg now reports that Sony has reached a similar deal with Apple. With Warner Music Group having already agreed to a deal, Universal remains the lone holdout among the major labels, although sources indicate that Apple and Universal are close to a deal.

Apple has reached licensing accords with Sony Corp.'s music division, EMI Group and Warner Music Group, the people said. Universal Music Group, the largest recording company, is close to a deal, another person said. The company also would need to reach agreements with music publishers, which control different rights than the labels.

Sources have indicated to Bloomberg that Apple could preview the new cloud-based music streaming service at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco early next month. A public launch would presumably follow relatively soon thereafter.

Related Forum: Mac Apps

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
top stories 2025 04 19

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, CarPlay Bug Fix, and More

Saturday April 19, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
This week saw rumor updates on the iPhone 17 Pro and next-generation Vision Pro, while a minor iOS 18.4.1 update delivered not just security fixes but also a fix for some CarPlay issues. We also looked ahead at what else is in Apple's pipeline for the rest of 2025 and even the 20th-anniversary iPhone coming in 2027, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more! iPhone 17 ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...

Top Rated Comments

Themaeds Avatar
182 months ago
People seem to have forgotten about ping, but Next to a new notification system, Ping is a major interest of mine. I think Ping is Apple's secret weapon they hope the competition has forgotten about.

They didnt forget about it...most people just call it Facebook
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Macsterguy Avatar
182 months ago
Just to know. In what way does the approach of google and apple differs when it comes to cloud music? Google has its cloud for music now too, so why does apple have to sign the labels?

I think with Apple, you would own your music. With Google you would rent your music... Unfortunately, most people just steal their music...
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
caccamolle Avatar
182 months ago
it's not out yet, can't be sure of anything of course.

NONETHELESS I have been waiting for this forever.

Without some "cloud" implementation, managing music with multiple computers and locations is a gigantic PITA.

I am so looking forward and pray it's done right.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Maximilian H Avatar
182 months ago
I'm not quite sure what the Cloud music is, is it like you can listen to /download lots of songs with no limit if you pay some money monthly? Like Spotify?
If they allowed users to use it for free with ads just like Spotify does it'd be awesome.

Cloud music can be like Spotify or Amazon/Google Music.
Spotify offers lots of songs with no streaming limit if you pay some money monthly. Amazon and Google music offer a virtual hard drive which allows you to upload your (bought) music. The uploaded music can be streamed to your devices. I think that kind of service will Apple offer.

I hope Spotify will be soon available in Germany. I can hardly wait!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Maximilian H Avatar
182 months ago
It sounds nice but I think that I won't use the new service. I've got already a Spotify Premium account which is just amazing ;)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
duervo Avatar
182 months ago
Don't kid yourselves. Whenever Apple finally gets around to launching their iCloud offering, there will most assuredly be a clause in the EULA that states something about how they are not responsible for the security and stability of your data (music). They have to. There is just no way that they can realistically assume responsibility for the security and stability of all of that data. If any of it were lost for any reason (and bad things do and will happen at some point) they could be held liable for that lost data to their users without some type of clause in their user agreement.

That being said, I'm sure they'll have all sorts of redundancies built into everything, but things can still happen. To put a play on words of Apple's recent iPhone ads: If you don't have a backup ... well, you don't have a backup. (And Apple's iCloud product should not be treated as a backup.)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)