Apple bought Beats because they sell audio hardware at a markup and in volumes that even Apple was jealous of, to a very "juicy" demographic group (folks under

Apple bought Beats because they sell audio hardware at a markup and in volumes that even Apple was jealous of, to a very "juicy" demographic group (folks under 25). It's practically free money as long as the brand retains strength. The streaming service is a sideshow in comparison. The main reason so many people thought that Apple bought beats for the streaming service is that they didn't want to believe that Apple could be so crude as to simply buy a lucrative "fashion" brand so they invented some convoluted high-level strategy idea, but that's fantasy.