This is a big sign Apple Music is acting like a record label

Apple just hired a former Epic Records executive who could help Apple Music double down on streaming exclusives.

Scott Seviour, a former senior vice president at Epic Records, is joining Apple in Los Angeles to work on original content, according to his LinkedIn profile. At Epic, which he left in 2014, he worked with LA Reid, the CEO of Epic and a veteran music executive most famous for appearing on "The X Factor."

Apple confirmed the hire but declined to comment on Seviour's specific role beyond that he will be working on Apple Music. Seviour did not respond a request for comment.

Seviour has a big background in A&R, like Larry Jackson, Apple Music's head of original content. A&R is the part of the music business that looks to sign and develop new artists. Seviour also handled video production at Epic.

The hire signals a continued emphasis in securing streaming exclusives - the primary way Apple Music has distinguished its service so far.

In the past year, albums from Frank Ocean, Future, Travis Scott, Chance the Rapper, Britney Spears, Drake, and others have appeared on Apple Music before becoming available on rival streaming services like Spotify and Tidal.

In many ways, Apple Music is functioning like a record label - and a radio station, and an investor or producer too.

Apple is coaxing big-name stars to release their music on Apple Music, and promoting those records while also funding their music videos. Apple also gives artists a platform to make announcements through its internet radio station, Beats 1.

"We'd like to be a home where artists can do their thing," Jimmy Iovine, head of Apple Music, told Rolling Stone in June. Jackson says the goal for Apple Music is to put the service "at the intersection of all things relevant in pop culture."