BY ETHAN SMITH AND JESSICA E. VASCELLARO
Apple Inc. is in talks to license music for a custom-radio service similar to the popular one operated by Pandora Media Inc., according to people familiar with the matter, in what would be a bid by the hardware maker to expand its dominance in online music.
Such services create virtual "stations" that play music similar to a song or artist of the user's choosing, either on Web browsers or smartphone apps. Like traditional radio, they are typically free for users, but incorporate advertisements.
Apple's service would work on its sprawling hardware family, including the iPhone, iPads and Mac computers, and ...
