FT  ON APPLE MUSIC:
"DEATH OF iTUNES"

The U.K.'s Financial Times is reporting a few tantalizing details about Apple Music. Among these: That its launch will signal the death of iTunes as a brand, except as the name of the download store.

As reported elsewhere, the story (behind a pay wall, here) also notes that the monthly fee for the service will probably be $9.99. It also echoes previous reports that curation via a revamped iTunes Radio will heavily involve former BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe.

The article also claims Apple would need twice the paid subscribers signed up thus far by Spotify in order to exceed the revenue currently generated by iTunes. It also quotes digital media analyst Dan Cryan, who notes that Apple's "whole brand is quite tied into music, because of the long legacy of the iPod, and within the company it seems to have a certain resonance."

The FT cites IFPI stats that there are some 41 million paying streaming subscribers worldwide.