Pharrell, Drake and Elton John will DJ on Apple's Beats 1

With Apple Music launching in less than a week, much of the focus has been on its relationship with artists and the royalties it pays. Thanks to Taylor Swift, it appears to have weathered its minor storm, allowing it to focus on other parts of its upcoming launch. Beats 1, for example, will begin broadcasting on June 30 and will be fronted by ex-Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe in Los Angeles, Ebro Darden in New York and Julie Adenuga in London. When Apple's first live radio station was announced, it wasn't known how the company intended to fill the programming gaps between the three main hosts. However, the New York Times reports that it has lined up a number of high-profile musicians to do their part, with Dr. Dre Pharrell Williams, Drake, Jaden Smith, Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, Disclosure and even Elton John due to present their own shows.

Elton will reportedly host "Elton John's Rocket Hour," which will feature an "eclectic mix of old songs and new." However, there's no word on what Pharrell or Drake will play during their shows. Drake was on-stage at WWDC 2015 to introduce Music and Pharrell will release Apple Music's first exclusive song, so it should come as no surprise that they form part of Apple's wider plans.

In terms of guests, Zane Lowe has confirmed that Eminem will be his first big-name interview. With a mix of live and pre-recorded interviews, Apple hopes that music fans will tune in from all over the globe to discover new music, but also form a closer connection with some of their favorite musicians. Lowe, Darben and Adenuga are the main frontrunners, but Beats 1 could see a huge influx of listeners when any one of the main guest presenters share their tastes with the world.

[Image credit: David Shankbone, Flickr]