Apple’s Beats1 lineup is still one big experiment

Apple today announced the coming of another show for Beats1 radio, which is one of the key pieces — albeit the free part — of its Apple Music streaming service. The latest Beats1 star is Marc Kinchen, whom the Guardian once dubbed “the house remix king.”

Kinchen will host the “MK” show once every two weeks, with the first episode broadcasting tomorrow at 3 p.m. Pacific. “I’ll be diving into some old school house and techno, new music, remixes, and upcoming collabs,” Kinchen told Billboard. “I will also have some of my favorite producers and friends as guests on each show, from the legends to the up and comers.”

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Beats1 anchor Zane Lowe announced the news on his show today, after hyping it up on Twitter.

But neither Lowe nor Apple made noise about the people who have been quietly shown the door at Beats1. Charli XCX, Deadmau5, Ellie Goulding, Fatboy Slim, Haim, Martin Garrix, Mary J. Blige, Skrillex, and St. Vincent have all been unceremoniously escorted out in recent months.

Fans of these artists and the genres they promote may feel disappointed as Apple discontinues shows. But Apple is presumably just looking to see what sticks — nothing personal, surely — in order to surpass Spotify and stay way ahead of Pandora, which recently unveiled its streaming service. That leaves organizations formerly affiliated with Beats1 free to talk more openly about competitors. For instance, Skrillex’s record label OWSLA lately has been directing people to its releases on Spotify.

The current Beats1 lineup features Andy C, Diplo, Drake, Dr. Dre, Elton John, Mike D, Pharrell, and Q-Tip, among others. Which is impressive, certainly. But with people coming and going at Apple Music, just as they do at its parent company, it’s probably best not to get attached. The stable of anchors has been consistent, with Lowe, Julie Adenuga, and Ebro Darden going live day after day. Overall, though, turnover seems to be the theme. A nicer way to describe it is “experimentation.”

“I’ve learned the art of the pivot, learning quickly what doesn’t work,” Apple Music’s head of content, Larry Jackson, told Complex this week. The app’s redesign reflects that, and its rotating talent roster does, too.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.