MP3tunes creator launches free Beats 1 rival

Back in April, digital music entrepreneur and creator of the now defunct MP3tunes, Michael Robertson launched a Pandora rival; now it appears he has his sights set on Apple’s Beats 1 radio station.

FreeBeats1 made its debut today as part of Robertson’s April-launched free radio app 6 Seconds. It streams many of the same songs which feature on Beats 1, but not in the same order because it comes without the promotional clips, interviews and commentary by its hosts like Zane Lowe.

Back in April Robertson told TMN he viewed iTunes Radio, Pandora and Spotify as the app’s competitors. 6 Seconds is available worldwide and enables users to search over 100,000 online radio stations for any specific song or artist.

“There are photo, social networking, messaging, search and shopping sites with massive audiences,” Roberton told TMN back in April. “[…] But what I find striking is that there are no music services with over 100 million users. I hope that 6 Seconds’ free price tag and features give us a real shot to make the first music experience with nine digits of users.”

It could be said that FreeBeats1 does have an advantage over Beats 1; it’s available on both iOS and Android, whereas when Apple Music hits Android in September, its Beats 1 service won’t.

“It's definitely an alternative,” Robertson told TMN today. “And unlike Beats 1, it's available to Android, web and iOS users. It also doesn't require an AppleID to listen.”

Back in 2012 Robertson ruffled feathers with the major labels over the closure of his MP3.com. He was later sued over the ensuing endeavour MP3Tunes.com. Robertson has said he doesn’t see any issue with his current venture and doesn’t expect any legal fallout.