FreeBeats1 Service Plays Just the Music from Apple’s Beats 1 Radio

Earlier this year, we told you about an app called 6 Seconds that taps into radio station streams. Users pick songs they want to hear, and the app scans streams and finds a station that's playing the song, all within six seconds.

Well, the app is still chugging along, and it's got a new feature that surely has Apple's lawyers clamoring for their pens: It's called FreeBeats1, and plays the same music as Apple's Beats 1 radio station without the talking and the promos.

The app's creator is Michael Robertson, a music industry rabble rouser whose previous MP3tunes.com project was sued into oblivion by the major labels. "FreeBeats1 monitors Apple's Beats1 station and plays the same tunes but without the disruptive DJ banter," wrote Robertson in a post on his website. "Unlike Beats1, it does not require an iOS device or registering with an AppleID to listen. Any Android or iOS user can listen and no registration is required."

The question of whether playlists are copyrightable is an open one, but there's no question Beats1 is an Apple trademark. The app is, of course, available via the Apple App Store. It'll be fun to watch how this one plays out.