Apple's new musical faces - Drake and The Weeknd

MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2015

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Apple, unveiling its bid to be a powerhouse in streaming, has new celebrity faces -- the rapper Drake, and his collaborator The Weeknd.

The tech giant unveiled the new Apple Music on Monday, hoping to take a greater slice of the booming on-demand music market away from rivals such as streaming leader Spotify and Internet radio provider Pandora.
Announcing the service at its annual developers conference in San Francisco, Apple brought out Drake, who credited the company that revolutionized digital music through iTunes with helping artists break out.
The Toronto rapper said that he had tried unsuccessfully to win the attention of major record labels in New York before his ascent in 2009-2010.
"As a kid growing up, I always wondered if my city or even my country would have somebody break into the global music scene as a true superstar. The dream seemed unattainable at the time," he said.
"The dream of being a new artist, like myself five years ago, and connecting directly with an audience has never been more close and reachable than right now."
Drake released his latest mixtape, "If You're Reading This It's Too Late," on iTunes as well as streaming services in February before any physical copy.
Such a strategy is resented by brick-and-mortar record stores, but the mixtape nonetheless went to number one on the US charts.