Apple Hiring Genre Experts to Program iTunes Match Stations

Apple is hiring a number of musical experts to program its iTunes Match stations, according to a report from CNET. The human touch on the music stations stands in stark contrast to the algorithm-driven methodology that is used by Pandora, the current leader in streaming music.

Pandora uses algorithms and user feedback to determine what songs should be played, whereas Apple will have humans programming its wide variety of stations.

Itunesradio

Apple has been staffing up and is looking to hire a range radio music programmers. These are people with deep knowledge in genres such Latin, metal and alternative music who will be responsible for selecting and promoting songs out of the thousands of new releases each month. Apple has also been trying to poach people from the labels themselves.

CNET also says Apple has been working with major music labels to promote "heat seekers", acts that labels believe are on the verge of breaking out, but haven't quite made it to that point.

Apple has always had a human touch on the iTunes Store, with editors reportedly choosing what albums and tracks to feature based on sales and personal preference, rather than a 'pay-to-play' system. The company uses a similar methodology on the App Store with its Staff Favorites and Editor's Choice sections. iTunes Radio also features celebrity Guest DJs, including Katy Perry and Jared Leto at launch, as well as exclusive content -- the Katy Perry station, for example, includes an unreleased track from her new album.

The ad-supported iTunes Radio is included free with iOS 7, launching tomorrow. Subscribers to Apple's $25/year iTunes Match service, however, will hear no ads and will be able to skip an unlimited number of songs.

Popular Stories

apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 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. 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 iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
top stories 2025 04 26

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Air Rumors, Apple Watch Turns 10, and More

Saturday April 26, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
We've known for quite some time about Apple's plans for a thinner "iPhone 17 Air" coming later this year, but wow, the latest dummy models give us our best look yet at just how thin this phone is going to be. Other Apple news and rumors this week included another iOS 18.5 beta, the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch launch, and more management reshuffling in Apple's Siri division, so read...

Top Rated Comments

Populus Avatar
152 months ago
Maybe is time to think about iTunes match subscription... ¿It's been improved since its launch, regarding album/track recognition?

"iTunes Match Stations"?? Shouldn't that be iTunes Radio Stations?
I thought the same :confused:
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Casiotone Avatar
152 months ago
"iTunes Match Stations"?? Shouldn't that be iTunes Radio Stations?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gaximus Avatar
152 months ago
itunes match is brilliant when your OCD about naming ALL of your tracks in your library. Ive noticed when one song is off, i.e. like a character, punctuation mark or something else very small, it wont match. So really it makes you organize your library and who doesnt like that?! it effectively killed my iPod classic.

Cant wait for itunes radio. So glad theres a perk for us Match customers who early adopted. Shouldnt they of hired a programmer BEFORE the general launch tho? lol. #wheresyourheadburied :confused:

iTunes Match listens to the song to match it. The spelling has nothing to do with it. Otherwise I could just copy a song and rename it a song I want.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DipDog3 Avatar
152 months ago
Good, a lot of the time, Pandora plays songs that make no sense. Hopefully a human can keep this from happening with iTunes Radio.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mozumder Avatar
152 months ago
Genre expert?......

Remember this morning when they used to be called DJ's?

Yah good times...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArtOfWarfare Avatar
152 months ago
Thank goodness they're hiring a metal expert.

I seeded a radio station with Fear of Domination (industrial metal band) and it proceeded to play Because I'm Evil (children's Halloween song, written and performed by the same person who wrote the music for the Cartoon Network show The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy - point being it wasn't even metal).
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)