Apple’s Beats Music, with Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre at the helm, is looking to form partnerships with artists for exclusive releases, mirroring success iTunes has had in the past, reports New York Post.

Specific artists haven’t been named, however Beats Music has strong partnerships with artists already, from its promotion and endorsements of Beats headphones. Nicki Minaj frequently stars with Beats products in her music videos. Will.i.am, Pharrell, Kanye West and Gwen Stefani are said to be friends of Iovine and Beats lovers.

Essentially what Beats Music will be doing is what Apple did with Beyonce, when she released her self-titled album exclusively on iTunes at the end of last year. It was the fastest selling album on iTunes – ever.

It’s not clear what Apple and new Apple exec Iovine’s time-table is for turning around the struggling Beats Music streaming service, but perhaps exclusive albums could help. Rumors have pointed to it shutting down and its features just rolling into iOS and iTunes. It wouldn’t surprise us any exclusive deals Iovine securing for Beats Music weren’t reflected on iTunes as well.

The New York Post says its insider pegs Beats Music as having 300,000 subscribers. The service combines algorithm-based personalization with expert music suggestions from a variety of sources to serve users up with music.

[New York Post]