Apple Ceases Free iTunes Radio Streaming Worldwide

[Juicy Box]

I applaud this decision, as it really clarifies the options to the customer.

You can now (either/or/both):

• buy songs/albums from the iTunes music store

• subscribe to Apple Music and stream songs either directly or through 'stations'

I like paying for music.

I believe musicians should be paid for their creative endeavours.

I pay for an Apple Music family subscription as that's currently the best method for me to pay while being able to discover new music that I otherwise would not have heard.

I do not applaud this decision, and I find it hard to find reasons to support it.

What is wrong with options on how to listen to music. There was an option that we had until today, you can listen to iTunes Radio, find a song you like, buy it or the whole album

That is what I have been doing. I purchased more music since I started using iTunes Radio, than before.

It is crazy that people support less options to listen/discover music.

I might go back to some other free options, although most of them have ads. There is no way I am going to pay the music rental fee for AM.
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Guess what? I use Apple Music every day. Love to use it while I work-out, and in my office. $10/month is a small price for something so useful in my life. I don't understand people who won't get something for $10. I can understand saving like $1,000 on something, but $10 is pigeon feed. I'm glad my finances are better than yours.

It is great that it works for you, but don't tell others what is good for them.

After 10 years of paying $10 a month of music, what will you have if Apple ends AM? You would have spent crap loads of money, and nothing to show for it.

Again, if this option works for you, then that is great. But not everyone wants to do that.

 

[chairguru22]

Bummer, I actually used it from time to time to get some variety and hear new songs.

 

[whsbuss]

I don't understand why so much contempt for this? LOL with some saying 'I like SiriusXM better' or 'Amazon free offering built into Prime' - NEWS FLASH you are paying for those!!! Just amazing. Don't like paying, then go with Pandora or Spotify ad-supported stuff. Done.

 

[Plutonius]

That's why I paid for iTunes match (radio without advertisements). Is it legal for Apple to cancel it for iTunes match subscribers ? ?

You didn't pay for iTunes Radio. This is not Apple Music folks!!!!!

I did. I pay a yearly iTunes match subscription to get the ad free radio from Apple.

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

Is Apple aware of what other services offer for free? Spotify on desktop is so far above any offering that this move will only certainly hurt Apple.

There is a section of my grocery store that used to give out free samples of yogurt covered pretzels and I would always swing by for a bite. So I started buying cases of them for long road trips cuz they were really good. Now they got rid of the free samples, and I just tend to forget they're there.

Spotify is looking to tighten their model. There's increased pressure to get paid subscribers, only made worse by Apple Music's explosive growth. They're going to begin limiting their freely available streaming soon.

 

[whsbuss]

That's why I paid for iTunes match (radio without advertisements). Is it legal, for iTunes match subscribers ? ?

Not anymore.....

 

[samcraig]

It's possible that this was part of the negotiation when they wanted to launch their music service. This might have been one of the "promises" they made with the labels, etc.

 

[vertsix]

"Hey! You haven't joined Apple Music yet, so screw you! You like your free iTunes Radio services, huh? Well, let me take that from you.

That's right. Yeah.

Join Apple Music. Now. Do it."

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

Bunch of cry babies in here.

"How dare Apple take away something I paid nothing for! I'm going to take the $0 I was paying the for it and go give it to someone else. That'll teach Apple. They'll miss the nothing I was giving them and be hurt financially! They don't know what they're doing. I know far better than them, for I've built a better model for business than the richest company in the world."

 

[ProjectManager101]

they had radio?

Well, something very clumsy, cheesy that they called radio. Some how reminds me when Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone and was mocking the other phones saying something like "sort of internet compared to real internet".

Any way, Apple... your radio won't be missed. And is a very bad marketing strategy by the way. People will be using other services and join other services as well.

 

[DevNull0]

I applaud this decision, as it really clarifies the options to the customer.

You can now (either/or/both):

• buy songs/albums from the iTunes music store

• subscribe to Apple Music and stream songs either directly or through 'stations'

Or option 3. Use the free option from any of the other music services.

Or option 4. Listen to OTA radio.

Or option 5. Buy songs/albums from other music services that make it easier to explore and discover music and are less customer hostial.

I like paying for music.

I believe musicians should be paid for their creative endeavours.

I hate paying for crappy music. A good preview/discovery system helps avoid that.

If you think paying for Apple Music or buying songs/albums from the iTunes store pays musicians (and all the other talent involved in producing music, which you don't seem to care about but definitely deserves to be paid) for their creative endeavours, all I can say is wow, please go educate yourself.

I pay for an Apple Music family subscription as that's currently the best method for me to pay while being able to discover new music that I otherwise would not have heard.

Good for you. I have a fairly small library of music (under 1000 songs), to which I currently add 2-3 songs a month. Apple music or any premium service is not a good fit for me. It's not a problem with the services, I'm just not the right customer for them. At least I understand that and don't rant like a lunatic that all services should only fit my specific usage case.

 

[Rogifan]

Bunch of cry babies in here.

"How dare Apple take away something I paid nothing for! I'm going to take the $0 I was paying the for it and go give it to someone else. That'll teach Apple. They'll miss the nothing I was giving them and be hurt financially! They don't know what they're doing. I know far better than them, for I've built a better model for business than the richest company in the world."

If it was part of iTunes Match and now it's not one could argue you were paying for it as part of that. I don't think Apple has lowered anyone's iTunes Match subscription fee.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Between Google Play Music and Radiotunes.com (formerly sky.fm) I have everything I need, and I don't need to line the pockets of Apple even more.

 

[OllyW]

Bunch of cry babies in here.

"How dare Apple take away something I paid nothing for! I'm going to take the $0 I was paying the for it and go give it to someone else. That'll teach Apple. They'll miss the nothing I was giving them and be hurt financially! They don't know what they're doing. I know far better than them, for I've built a better model for business than the richest company in the world."

What about the iTunes Match customers who did pay for it?

Members in the few countries who previously had free iTunes radio stations are obviously going to be a bit upset now the service has been taken away. Recommendations of alternative solutions would be welcome but there's no need to mock them.

 

[bstpierre]

Bunch of cry babies in here.

"How dare Apple take away something I paid nothing for! I'm going to take the $0 I was paying the for it and go give it to someone else. That'll teach Apple. They'll miss the nothing I was giving them and be hurt financially! They don't know what they're doing. I know far better than them, for I've built a better model for business than the richest company in the world."

I was paying for it.

 

[Juicy Box]

Bunch of cry babies in here.

"How dare Apple take away something I paid nothing for! I'm going to take the $0 I was paying the for it and go give it to someone else. That'll teach Apple. They'll miss the nothing I was giving them and be hurt financially! They don't know what they're doing. I know far better than them, for I've built a better model for business than the richest company in the world."

iTunes Match customers were paying for it. Many were using iTunes Match just for the ad-free iTunes Radio....

 

[mpfuchs]

Back to Pandora it is.
No way this will persuade me to sign up for Apple Music and mess up everything I built in iTunes Match.

 

[Craven Morehead]

yet another black mark on current Apple. what would SJ say about this? i will never pay for streaming radio either.

 

[felt.]

I use free scripts from github to download files off soundcloud and bandcamp, free music all day, no subscription required.

 

[venomgt95]

Don't care. Why pay for something when others offer it for free?

Because it's Apple, and there are some out there who will shell out countless dollars for anything branded 'APPLE'

 

[KALLT]

That's why I paid for iTunes match (radio without advertisements). Is it legal for Apple to cancel it for iTunes match subscribers?

It does seem shifty. A contract is a contract and if Apple advertised iTunes Radio as a part of it then this is likely a breach of contract. Perhaps they will offer a refund for the remaining months of iTunes Match, but they ought to have offered that of their own volition.

 

[Ipadilac]

Hello Pandora my old friend.. I feel like a fool for buying into this whole apple ecosystem.

 

[RobNYC]

I honestly don't remember it being as good as say Pandora with it's music selection. I gave it a go because they were supposed to have even more songs but it seemed to select a lot of stuff that really wasn't close to what the station was set up as.

 

[Juicy Box]

If it was part of iTunes Match and now it's not one could argue you were paying for it as part of that. I don't think Apple has lowered anyone's iTunes Match subscription fee.

I renewed my Match sub in Nov, and my fee was the same then. Even after all my music(3000+ songs) on all my devices were deleted. It happened on my subscription renew date. According to Apple, I never had any music uploaded to begin with. It sounds like a bug on their end, but nothing I can really do about it.

Luckily I had a back up of almost all the music, but all my play counts, playlists and other data was deleted.

After that issue, and now this issue, I am not renewing my Match subscription. Even if they reduce the prices.
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I feel like a fool for buying into this whole apple ecosystem.

If I read this a few years ago, as a long time Apple fan, I would have disagreed with you.

But Apple has been doing so many silly things lately that it is really starting to turn me off to their stuff. I am not saying that I will be making a big switch anytime soon, but next time I need a phone, computer, or other expensive electronic, I might start looking else where to see what is out there.

 

[iLLucionist]

Classical Microsoft move.. Oh no wait.. this is Apple! Seriously, what has gotten in them these days? Form of function, fine. But money over substance? It gets worse and worse.