Apple Pushing for $5 Beats Music Subscriptions as Spotify Debuts Discounted Family Plan

[b11051973]

Man, these streaming services would have been an amazing deal for me in high school. I probably bought 3-4 CDs a month back then. To only spend $10 a month on music would have been a huge savings. I think I would finally sign on for a streaming service at $5/month. I don't listen to music very much these days, but $5 seems like almost nothing. I'd pay the $5/month just to have it, even if I rarely used it.

 

[Miserabilist]

Who would buy a loaf of bread when you can just steal it?

lol

Spotify is free, silly

 

[AdonisSMU]

Apple, once again, wringing and stretching the content suppliers BUT holding firm on their profit margins. Pretty soon there won't be any content.

I agree. I think music should be priced at $20/month. People listen to it alot.

 

[JAT]

While Apple negotiates the terms for its Beats Music streaming service, rival Spotify is upping the ante with a new Spotify Family plan. Similar to Rdio's Unlimited Family plan, Spotify Family allows a premium subscriber to add up to four additional members for $4.99/month each, a 50 percent discount off the regular $9.99 individual premium plan. Spotify announced the family plans today and will roll then out globally in the coming weeks.

$30/month for a family? I'm not interested. Nice they are trying, but this anti-family thing in the 21st century is really becoming tiresome. What does this generation want, no more kids? There's a good road to travel.

 

[legacyb4]

How did you land Premium for only $4.99/month?!?

I already pay only $4.99 a month for premium, now I can add family for $4.99 each?

 

[Parasprite]

There's no need to steal it. It's freely available and legal. TV too.

[plug for our favourite indie bands]

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$30/month for a family? I'm not interested. Nice they are trying, but this anti-family thing in the 21st century is really becoming tiresome. What does this generation want, no more kids? There's a good road to travel.

$30 for 5 people = $6 a person. $30 for something that would normally cost $50.

How is this anti-family again?

 

[fa8362]

It's weird how people are so open and ready to admit to theft online.

Why would anyone steal something that's free? I'm not even sure it's possible. All you have to do is visit the sites and listen. That's not theft.

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How did he admit to online theft? There are places to listen to music for free.

Apparently, when some people see "free," they comprehend it as "theft." Very odd.

 

[Miserabilist]

Why would anyone steal something that's free? I'm not even sure it's possible. All you have to do is visit the sites and listen. That's not theft.

Some people just want to be mad at other people. Maybe the TV told him to be upset about it *shrug*

 

[GuitarDTO]

I just signed up for Beats a few weeks ago and finished my trial, and just subscribed to the $9.99 a month plan. I think it's worth it, and for $5 it would be a no brainer. I'm not a heavy music listener either, but the convenience of being able to grab any album I want at any time, online or offline, makes it worth it to me. I think I downloaded like 12 albums the first day. Already made the cost worthwhile

 

[Macist]

I hope beats doesn't mess up iTunes radio

Yeah, you and the other guy that uses it are right to be worried.

 

[Glideslope]

Apple, once again, wringing and stretching the content suppliers BUT holding firm on their profit margins. Pretty soon there won't be any content.

Pretty soon Apple will be able to buy a large Music Label.

 

[ericg301]

Surprised Apple won't subsidize the other $5, to just get subscribers. Or give 3 months free. Kind of like what most cable subscribers do with HBO.

 

[TsunamiTheClown]

Who would buy a loaf of bread when you can just steal it?

Free !== Stolen.

Soundcloud is free and producers put their stuff there, free for public consumption.

That being said I am not one to endorse the piracy of media, but I do want to point out that the game is changing and streaming / purchasing is not the only way to listen to music anymore.

 

[mrunix]

Still no Apple streaming service in Europe. Spotify is taking Apple's marketshare in Europe, and it will be difficult to get it back.

More or less impossible since Spotify is on any device, Apple trying the M$ way, "lock in" but those times are soon over!

 

[tito2020]

Music is dead after Micheal Jackson died.

 

[attila]

I'm pretty sure Spotify's alternative music offering is better, apart from being a better service altogether.

 

[576316]

Do we think that the Beats subscription service will remain branded as Beats or do we think they'll incorporate it into iTunes and rebrand it as Apple, keeping Beats as a headphones/speakers brand? Is this possibly why Apple purchased Beats - for their subscription service and all the record label deals that come with that?

 

[TsMkLg068426]

I wouldn't pay 1 cent per month for it. There's free music everywhere.

You and 14 people who liked your comment are the reason why the last 16 years we had two terrible presidents.

 

[576316]

Music is dead after Micheal Jackson died.

Profound.

 

[cjmillsnun]

You can't exactly compare stealing a tangible real-world item to a case of duplicating, not stealing, a digital file.

Yes you can. The maker loses in BOTH cases.

 

[EbookReader]

Apple can take a small loss on Beats Music to gain market share.

Offer it at $7 a month. Pay the music labels $7 month.

LOSS LEADER.

Spotify won't be able to compete since Spotify ($10 a month) vs. Apple ($7 a month).

 

[Imory]

Do we think that the Beats subscription service will remain branded as Beats or do we think they'll incorporate it into iTunes and rebrand it as Apple, keeping Beats as a headphones/speakers brand? Is this possibly why Apple purchased Beats - for their subscription service and all the record label deals that come with that?

Rebrand the service into whatever that is associated with Apple. The only thing in terms of recognition that Beats has are the headphones.

 

[DerekRod]

Apple, once again, wringing and stretching the content suppliers BUT holding firm on their profit margins. Pretty soon there won't be any content.

You do realize companies like Spotify have yet to turn profits?That the more customers they get the more their costs go up?The recording industry has screwed Satellite and internet radio

 

[fa8362]

You and 14 people who liked your comment are the reason why the last 16 years we had two terrible presidents.

No, but you're a perfect illustration of how to derive an erroneous conclusion from a faulty assumption.

 

[lewismayell]

We never got it.

That's what I mean, before it even gets here