Why the hate for Beats 1?

[nheilweil]

Are you referring to the music or the DJ style? Because, sincerely curious, does a younger audience like DJ's constantly talking over the music, and blathering on between nearly every single song? Is that how young people (e.g. teens thru 20's) like to listen to music now?

I don't care for it myself, but I'm not saying one way is right or wrong, just curious if this apparent trend is actually appreciated by a younger audience, or whether they just put up with it?

Definitely not a trend for what the younger audience wants! Think about Spotify's success -- it's not talk-over style -- just great playlists plus an awesome social interface which makes it so easy to share UNLIKE Apple Music. I'm a huge fan of Beats 1 and have been listening almost non-stop but they don't have this piece right and hopefully they will because social is what young people DO care about!

 

[C DM]

I'm also a little disapointed on beats 1. At first I thought it would play many genres but I listened the station long enough to see its just rap/hip hop music (witch I hate) and club music. I dont know why this station have such a niche genre for music.

I didn't realize that AC/DC, Rolling Stones, Depeche Mode, and various other similar bands fell into the category of hip-hop or club music.

 

[throAU]

Not particularly enthused with the playlist, but as far as the tech goes - the audio quality, the reliability of the stream, etc. it's pretty good.

As a proof of concept, it's good, it just needs more variety, as posted by many above, one channel is never going to please everybody, and expecting it to cater to your personal musical taste perfectly is being a little unrealistic.

 

[NavySEAL6]

I'm thoroughly impressed with Beats. It's good to hear music coming from different people in different places. I have noticed a fair amount of repeats which they aren't supposed to do. But hey it's brand new. It's not going to apply to everyone's specific tastes all the time but they play great music from different genres and it's easy to listen to.

 

[motulist]

Overall I really like Beats1. The "anchor shows" repeat songs waaaay too much, so i've started to avoid those shows, but the musician DJ shows are often great. Like Josh Homme does a show that rocks hard as he11, and Q-Tip did a show that was hot as he11.

 

[nheilweil]

I'm also a little disapointed on beats 1. At first I thought it would play many genres but I listened the station long enough to see its just rap/hip hop music (witch I hate) and club music. I dont know why this station have such a niche genre for music.

Probably because of Beats/Dre? After spending all that cash, Apple's not about to miss that connection! It is pretty darn heavy in hip hop/rap, dance, electronic, world, pop, alternative and just a tiny bit of rock.

I wish it was mostly rock but I think it's still got good energy and I've discovered a bunch of good alternative bands I knew nothing about before. But if it was mostly rock-based, then you'd have other fans pissed it's not country, or blues, or classical, etc. Hopefully we'll get other live stations added over time because I think it's cool to have the DJ's. Makes the listening seem more social.

 

[mpayne2k]

I think a lot of people were hoping for music that would appeal to a broad range of age groups and tastes. What we have gotten so far seems narrowly targeted to rap fans and euro electronic fans under 30. No thanks.

...and CLEAN Versions? You kiddin' me? At least an option for Explicit or Clean please?

 

[pjh]

I don't understand the hate either, I can only assume people had unrealistic expectations. I personally think Beats 1 is rubbish, so I just moved on and use other parts of Apple Music. One station is never going to appeal to everyone, music is just too diverse and thankfully so.

There seems to be a general trend of misplaced anger and over use of the word hate for music people don't like. There are many things in life that don't float my boat, but very few things I actually hate.

 

[mattm591]

Are you referring to the music or the DJ style? Because, sincerely curious, does a younger audience like DJ's constantly talking over the music, and blathering on between nearly every single song? Is that how young people (e.g. teens thru 20's) like to listen to music now?

I don't care for it myself, but I'm not saying one way is right or wrong, just curious if this apparent trend is actually appreciated by a younger audience, or whether they just put up with it?

With Zane Lowe specifically (and this may be true for the other DJs - haven't listened to them much yet), it's less about listening to music and more about music discovery.

When Zane's talking over and between records he's often giving background to the music, suggestions on similar music, other tracks by the band, etc. that you should try if you're enjoying the song he's playing.

And that's great. Because sometimes I want to listen to the music I love, and when I want to do that then I just listen to my music.

But when I want to discover new music then listening to a DJ who I know plays the sort of music I like listening to is a great way to discover more music - and their talking over the music is a big part of that (and traditionally necessary to prevent you getting your tape recorder out instead of buying the single!!)

 

[johngordon]

I think a lot of people were hoping for music that would appeal to a broad range of age groups and tastes. What we have gotten so far seems narrowly targeted to rap fans and euro electronic fans under 30. No thanks.

It might depend when and who you listen to. I'm in the UK, and have been listening to Zane's show over here for years. He will play a wide variety of stuff, regardless of genre.

Here's an article about the first stuff played on Beats 1:

http://www.musicbusinessworldwide.c...te-first-days-playlist-as-zane-lowe-delivers/

I think that's a pretty wide range of stuff, and good to see it including a lot of new, indie stuff.

From what I have heard so far, I can see me certainly starting to listen to Zane again, and possibly some other stuff.

For me, its everything I hoped it would be, but can definitely appreciate that it won't be for everyone. There are those who maybe prefer to listen to older stuff, and those who might prefer more chart / pop stuff. But arguably the other curated non-live stations are better for those kinds of thing, because its more obvious what the older classics are, or what is currently in the charts.

But for the discovery of new music, a live station like Beats 1 is much better - I absolutely agree with Trent that there is something in the collective, shared experience of radio and that this sort of radio with enthusiastic DJs and lots of new and different music is the way to go.

I would far rather they do something like this, and have some people not like it because its not for them, than them do something far safer and predictable that had a wider appeal, but perhaps wasn't so good for hearing new stuff.

I just hope it does well enough not to be considered a disaster and see the plug pulled on it.

 

[johngordon]

With Zane Lowe specifically (and this may be true for the other DJs - haven't listened to them much yet), it's less about listening to music and more about music discovery.

When Zane's talking over and between records he's often giving background to the music, suggestions on similar music, other tracks by the band, etc. that you should try if you're enjoying the song he's playing.

And that's great. Because sometimes I want to listen to the music I love, and when I want to do that then I just listen to my music.

But when I want to discover new music then listening to a DJ who I know plays the sort of music I like listening to is a great way to discover more music - and their talking over the music is a big part of that (and traditionally necessary to prevent you getting your tape recorder out instead of buying the single!!)

Completely agree.

There have been a few comments about the talking over records - maybe its not something that happens normally in the US, I don't know. But I don't have a problem with it on radio - I also thought that it originated to stop (or at least discourage) people recording songs from the radio.

Zane clearly can be a bit marmite, but I love his sheer enthusiasm for music. I certainly won't like everything he plays, but I know from experience I will often hear something new that I then go on to check out.

What it really could do with though is more information about the programmes / DJs / schedules in the apps, especially iTunes.

 

[johngordon]

Setting aside whether I like or don't like the music they play (currently as a single-stream music station is NEVER going to satisfy everyone), the reason I think Beats1 currently sucks eggs is because the DJ's talk over every song and simply won't shut up.. and all the talk (aside from announcing the playlist) is disingenuous blather.

I want to listen to music, not DJ's shouting out tweets, random soundbites, constant promotional announcements.

If the DJ's don't shut up soon, Beats1 is essentially DOA.

Are you in the US? Just wondering if it is unusual to have DJs talking over music on the radio?

 

[johngordon]

Loving Beats 1 Radio! Lots of hip-hop, but think it's more post-genre world vibe, very similar to BBC 1. Let's look at the kick-off show which started with Spring King's City, and ended with Wolf Alice's You're a Germ. That was pretty awesome!

I'm also really digging the guest DJ's. Loved Josh Hommes (from Queens of the Stone Age) show The Alligator Hour. He played Roky Ericsson (from 13th Floor Elevators) and The Cramps -- that's Day 2. So that pretty much busted my perception of what they'd play!

I heard some of Josh's show - was so random and eclectic it was almost like he was channeling some John Peel!

 

[Dranix]

Are you in the US? Just wondering if it is unusual to have DJs talking over music on the radio?

I'm from Germany and DJs would be killed here if they started talking so much over the music.

BTW: Just tried Beats1 again: Result = AGAIN ****** hiphop 8(

 

[RossMak]

Everyone that said Beats 1 is exactly like Radio 1 is bang on the money, I can take both in small doses I couldn't listen to Beats 1 for hours on end, an hour hear or there is enough for me.

 

[Rogifan]

I hate that they play certain songs over and over and over. That's just like iHeart Radio who's probably told by labels they need to play Taylor Swift's new single once every 63 minutes or whatever. Also I absolutely hate the station identification being dropped in during the middle of song. Same with DJs talking over a song. Fine if it's the beginning or ending of a song but not randomly in the middle of a song! Someone needs to get a message to Trent Reznor to stop all that.

 

[Rogifan]

Basically Beats 1 is virtually exactly the same as BBC Radio 1... (I'm a Radio 2 fan myself lol). I wonder if they'll add more stations over time?

I'm surprised this is shocking to anyone. The minute I heard they hired Zane Lowe I knew what they were going after and the little promo video at WWDC just confirmed it. The Beeb should be flattered!

 

[lazypoet]

I'm surprised this is shocking to anyone. The minute I heard they hired Zane Lowe I knew what they were going after and the little promo video at WWDC just confirmed it. The Beeb should be flattered!

I think this thread is a typical fenomenon of apple fans building up their expectations to sky high levels, and then acting like insulted spoiled children. I mean, come on, it's only been a few days of existing... They need some time to fine tune this radio station!

 

[MattZani]

Considering Zane Lowe made Radio 1 what it is, it was pretty obvious Beats 1 would be very similar.

The Disclosure hour today was brilliant, good to hear the guys talking about what influences them and what they like to hear and how the got in to it. Looking forward to them more.

Enjoying Beats 1 a lot, and I hate regular Radio, mainly because all of the non music rubbish, competitions, phone ins, talking about their boring lives etc. At least when the hosts on B1 talk they're genuinely interesting, either about the music or a bit about themselves.

Fat Jewish' set should be interesting to say the least!

 

[RossMak]

Considering Zane Lowe made Radio 1 what it is, it was pretty obvious Beats 1 would be very similar.

The Disclosure hour today was brilliant, good to hear the guys talking about what influences them and what they like to hear and how the got in to it. Looking forward to them more.

Enjoying Beats 1 a lot, and I hate regular Radio, mainly because all of the non music rubbish, competitions, phone ins, talking about their boring lives etc. At least when the hosts on B1 talk they're genuinely interesting, either about the music or a bit about themselves.

Fat Jewish' set should be interesting to say the least!

Zane Lowe made Radio 1 what it was? Really?

 

[RogerEast]

Really impressed by Beats 1. Run the Jewels, Disclosure, St Vincent. Can't complain.

As for the Radio 1 comparisons... it's a lot more diverse and less reliant on chart music. Unless Radio 1 suddenly started playing stuff like Shamir and Nas when I wasn't listening.

 

[MattZani]

Zane Lowe made Radio 1 what it was? Really?

Yep. With his influence he really re-invented the station over the 10 years he worked there.

This St Vincent Mix Tape is awful, the music is fine, but people phoning in is one of my pet peeves, no one cares about the little girl. Will have to remember to avoid this in the future.

 

[Z3man]

Tried Beats 1 this afternoon (UK Saturday) and thought it was absolutely rubbish. It was about 12.30 on a Saturday afternoon and they were just playing this awful drab music. I don't know what it is called, but do you know when you are in a nightclub about 4 o'clock in the morning and everyone else has gone home and there are just a few stragglers left inside, so they just but some ***** background music on while people chill out, well it was like that, not what i would call Saturday afternoon listening.

I will give it a couple more tries over on a weekday evening to see what it is like then, if i get the same as i did this afternoon it will be going off for good.

Anyone know why i can't play it over airplay when using iTunes on my laptop, i can on my iPhone and iPad, but not my laptop.

 

[MacrumoursUser]

I've heard enough classic rock that I'm sick of it on the radio. If you want to listen to the typical radio bands the discographies are there. For a 29 year old living in middle America it's nice to finally hear the new music cool in cities like NY and London

Because there are better Dejays that are basically unknown to the world with voices that don't force you o turn it off after 10 seconds.

 

[noty]

Meh, I'm almost 40 and love it. Especially the guest DJs like St. Vincent, Joshua Homme, Run the Jewels, Q-Tip, Disclosure. I even like the 3 main DJ's. The only thing I would like for them to change is to add archived shows. Looking forward to Dr Dre's show tonight and Elton John's show Monday.