The service built upon Beats' line of consumer electronics as well as its 2012 acquisition of MOG, a former music streaming platform.

[3] A few months later in December 2012, the company hired Trent Reznor of the band Nine Inch Nails to serve as its chief creative officer, and to help develop a new music service codenamed "Daisy".

As opposed to its competitors such as Spotify, in Daisy the plan was to use "personalization" based on user listening habits in combination with expert music curators to suggest tracks.

[8] In February 2014, Beats Music reached a licensing deal with the Merlin Network, a group representing a number of major independent record labels.

[11] The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple had valued Beats Music at "slightly less than $500 million.

Apple had hired noted British radio DJ Zane Lowe to serve as a music curator.

The United States Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into this alleged cartel in May 2015.

The service used a personalization system combining recommendations based on listening habits and algorithms with human curation and playlists from music professionals and publications such as Rolling Stone, Rap Radar, and Pitchfork.