Free for three months, then who will pay?
Apple today launched Apple Music globally. Apple Music is an app that provides a streaming music service, a worldwide live radio station from Apple broadcasting 24 hours a day and a great new way for music fans to connect with their favourite artists.
Catching up with already popular streaming music services such as Spotify, Apple Music is free on a three month trial for users and then certain elements will be free, while users that think it is worth it will pay $10 per month, or the equivalent.
Spotify, which was founded in 2006 and launched in 2008, now has a massive user base that will tough for Apple Music to rival. Spotify announced recently that at the end of May 2014, it reached 10 million paying subscribers and 40 million active users. As of 10 June this year, that figure had boomed to more than 20 million paid subscribers and more than 75 million active users.
With Spotify reaching its first 10 million subscribers in its first five and a half years, swiftly followed by another 10 million subscribers in just a single year, making an average of one new subscriber every three seconds over the last year, the market is obviously ripe for streamed music. The question is whether Apple Music will be able to cut in on that market at this late stage.
The new app combines the largest and most diverse collection of music on the planet with the expertise of world-class music experts who have programmed playlists for the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, PC, Apple TV and Android phones.
Now available in over 100 countries, the entire Apple Music catalogue is placed at user’s fingertips across their favourite devices. Starting with the music they already know, whether from the iTunes Store or ripped CDs, music now lives in one place alongside the Apple Music catalogue with over 30 million songs.
Users can stream any song, album or playlist they choose, or let Apple Music do the work.
“We love music, and the new Apple Music service puts an incredible experience at every fan’s fingertips,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of internet software and services. “All the ways people love enjoying music come together in one app; a revolutionary streaming service, live worldwide radio and an exciting way for fans to connect with artists.”
Smart Chimps thinks: With so many other well established streaming music services out there already, who is really going to want to pay for this service? Apple has to really be offering something above and beyond the norm, and we don’t think Apple Music is it.
