Apple Buys UK Music Start-Up Semetric

Apple recently bought UK start-up Semetric, a company known for its MusicMetrics software. MusicMetrics is an analytic service that scans social media, music sales, streams, and downloads to gather data regarding the popularity of artists and their songs. The purchase will likely be used to strengthen Apple’s Beats Music streaming music service. Beats Music, launched and acquired by Apple in 2014, personalizes its selections based on each user’s listening habits in combination with the picks of expert music curators.

The acquisition of Semetric would allow Apple to use the MusicMetrics large pool of analytic data to bolster the power of Beats Music’s song recommendations, as well as improve the streaming service’s relationship with its artists.Beats Music is expected to enjoy a relaunch sometime later this year (rumors say March), and will be bundled with an upcoming iOS update. The acquisition of Semetric will likely play a large role behind the scenes with Beats Music.