The iconic Dr. Dre, unsatisfied with his runaway headphone sales, is launching a music service to rival Spotify called Beats Music.

As a result, Spotify is preparing for the heat of battle by allowing merchandise sales to go through its online player.

The company said it would not be taking any percentage of the products sold through the platform.

Announcing the plans to modify the site, Spotify’s head of artist services, Mark Williamson, said:

We’re really excited that Spotify’s 24 million music-loving users can now see merchandise and concerts while listening to their favourite artists, and that we, in turn, can provide additional revenue opportunities for artists of all sizes.

Because of Dr. Dre’s huge appeal, his music service is being seen as potential power player in the already very competitive music streaming industry. Music Week’s Tom Pakinkis said the strength of the Beats brand alone set the music service apart as a credible rival.

It’s a big company with a lot of marketing resource, and that gives the implication that it could be a significant player.

[Source : BBC]