Beats Music may be no longer with Apple now controlling the streaming service.

According to TechCrunch, Apple is shutting down the service, which officially launched in January. However, Apple claims the initial report to discontinue Beats Music "is not true." The company did not provide any further explanation on the subject. Despite the retort, it's possible that Beats Music may perform in a different capacity.

The subscription-based streaming service has struggled since its January launch. Beats Music earned only 250,000 users by the spring while Spotify's subscription base is 40 times that number.

Apple hasn't really been pushing Beats Music all that much either. It's not included in the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, and the service was an afterthought during Apple's conference on Sept. 9. The overall silence surrounding Beats Music -- an operation that had $60 million behind it -- predicts a shaky future for the service.

The developments do not affect the hugely successful headphone line Beats by Dre.

More From TheBoombox