Apple Music's Three-Month Trial is No Longer Free in Australia, Spain, and Switzerland

[Michael Goff]

Nope. Where are apple ahead of the curve....besides politically correct emoji? I am talking years ahead, not just a slightly different product than everybody else has. You know, like apple USED to be.

Are you talking about being ahead of the curve or innovation? Those two are not the same.

 

[mejsric]

If only people were as interested in thinking as in spouting off. [Edit: Deductive reasoning dictates that] Apple's complying with the law in those countries, people. And artists get paid even during free or cheap trials. Stop tripping over yourselves trying to shoehorn every news bite into your anti-Apple world views. I promise it doesn't make anyone look clever.

You forget that Apple haters are more active in this site.

 

[pppx3]

Two questions enter my mind:

#1. Has anyone considered that it might be possible that most subscribers could have taken the free 3 months and just simply left? It's like putting free stuff at the front of a shop, people will take the free stuff and not bother buying the product that costs money. Consumers are fickle.

#2. I know this has been mentioned and I'm sure there is some validity to this. The "free" price tag could have certainly carried some "conditions". Woolworths in Australia have "free" fruit for kids... but you have to go into the store. There are always conditions to the situation, even if they are not written. You would not be able to go to the Woolworths Counter, say, give me all your free fruit and then walk out (even if you are with your kids)... legally, you have not signed an agreement to enter the store to receive the free fruit and legally there should be no limit to how much fruit your kids can eat... but the REALITY is, there ARE conditions... legal or not, consumers have to pay, somehow.

 

[ekwipt]

I'm not sure but maybe Spotify or another company complained in Australia to the ACCC (regulatory body) that Apple somehow had an unfair advantage, because Apple Music also comes with the iPhone (for free) upon turning on the phone (no download required).

The 99c is just a token amount to get around that legal loophole.

Australia doesn't even have 1c or 2c, maybe they should've made it 95c here

 

[Tech198]

Either Apple's on something we don't know about yet, or they wanna follow Spotify with charging... so, i expect then the free trial to be charged in the U.S shorty as well..

oh well... Sign up while u can,, come one come all

We know by now Apple always follows the competition sooner or later, if not done already.

 

[Kabeyun]

You forget that Apple haters are more active in this site.

Sad but true.

 

[jonnysods]

I'm surprised Apple didn't cover the spread as a way to entice people.

 

[69Mustang]

Those would also be opinions, wouldn't they?

Sure. Just as deductive reasoning dictating that Apple is doing this because of policy/legal issue is an opinion.

 

[abcdefg12345]

The reason for the expensive new macs and the payed trial is because Tim Cook is a loser, if I had the power to fire him I would look him right in that ugly face and say "YOU ARE FIRED".

 

[zayjay]

Never Stop Paying!

 

[Carlanga]

Remember, it was Taylor Swift who shamed Apple into paying Artists for those free three months - before then, there was nothing being paid to the Artists during the trial period

I remember, it just doesn't apply to the current issue since that was solved.

 

[nzgeorge]

Remember when you could buy music, and you *actually owned it*. Those were the days.

 

[69Mustang]

Remember when you could buy music, and you *actually owned it*. Those were the days.

You mean the good ole days... like today. Streaming is a choice, not a requirement. I can and do still buy vinyl and CD's. I also stream. Choices.

 

[jdillings]

Apple Never Stop Nickle And Diming

 

[doublesupercool]

I think the reason is fairly clear right? They want money? I mean, it's not ambiguous. It's not ridiculous to charge a low fee for a trial.
[doublepost=1495425246][/doublepost]

You didn't read the whole article right? Because it says that Spotify also charges that. It has to be some local law..

As far as I know it's not. It's just an introductory offer. As long as it's clear that this is the introductory pricing and the time for that is clear, it's fine. I don't think there's anything stopping them giving it away for free for 3months.

 

[newyorksole]

Nice work Tim. Every penny counts

Literally no one cares about this besides forum goers. 99 cents is NOTHING for a trial that lasts THREE whole months.

This will not make local or international news. No one cares. Apple "fans" on these forums need to stop being up in arms about every little thing.

 

[a.gomez]

And The new Spotify music player design is stunning, this is pretty much a beat down right now.

Just another iBooks and iAds half hearted try from Apple. Instead of crap back deals and flashy marketing BS, just go back to making a grat product.

 

[tech4all]

You forget that Apple haters are more active in this site.

I prefer being described as informed and being willing to say that Apple may not be the best.

 

[brentonbrenton]

I think this has everything to do with the recent comments out of Apple about other music services (namely Spotify) that give away music on free tiers. This is is just to say that every Apple Music user in some form pays it's artists (make Apple appear the music industry darling) and put pressure on Spotify and other music services to do the same or risk appearing like the new napster of online music services.

If Spotify then does follow suit, prepare to watch the Spotify subscriber numbers plummet..

 

[Sedulous]

Never stop playing? More like never stop paying!

 

[mrochester]

Never stop playing? More like never stop paying!

Sadly that's what all streaming music services are. Once you stop paying, you've got nothing.

 

[dampfnudel]

Are you serious?

Are you rich? Are you oblivious?

 

[blaze756]

Easy . They don't have billions and billions of tax avoidance $$$$ laying around

On a serious note, apple already has your credit card details.

Spotify charges a nominal fee to get your credit card details and identity, i.e. Registration that is not bogus. Also prevents multiple free accounts unless you want to keep registering credit cards to different addresses.....

My theory make sense? Apple already has most of its user base linked to Apple ID and a payment method

Your theory makes sense, the fact that someone can just create a new account every 3 months to continue to listen to music would be a problem no doubt, especially since Apple is still paying artists during this time.

 

[haplain]

This seems fairly obvious to me... be it $9.99, $0.99, or $0.0001, user who pay, fall into "paid subscription" category. That way Apple can, at some point, tout being the largest paid subscription music provider/service. It doesn't matter what the amount is, as long as they are paying, it's plus +1 for a title Apple's dying claim.

 

[chr1s60]

This was normal in the 90s before digital distribution... but... unless Apple is sending CDs to my house like some sort of Columbia House spinoff, it just looks petty.

It's a dollar. They don't have to offer any trial. Half the people whining about this probably don't even use Apple Music. I'm guessing this is more to do with people continually creating new accounts and getting new trials. It's a way to combat that.