Carrier T-Mobile to offer free music subscription on June 18 (bad news for Spotify, Beats)

[EbookReader]

Invites are out, and it’s official. Uncarrier 5.0 is coming in June. T-Mobile today sent out invites to select members of the press to join them in Los Angeles on June 18.

Cricket Wireless did this to great success. Over 2 million subscribers to its Muve Music by bundling it to its Android Smartphone rate plan.

http://www.billboard.com/biz/articl...music-surpasses-two-million-subscribers-in-us
Muve Music Surpasses Two Million Subscribers in U.S.

The music labels are willing to give a BIG discount to carriers who bundle it (free) with their rate plan. Cricket Wireless paid the music labels approximately $2.50 per subscriber per month.

The answer is simple. Not all subscribers who have it use it (see the 55% number below). And by bundling, the music industry will have 30 million plus subscribers from T-Mobile.

But not all Muve Music subscribers actively use the service. As noted in a recent Billboard magazine article, just 55% of Muve Music subscribers used the service in May, the latest period for which Billboard was given a figure.

Imagine this scenario:

200 million paying subscribers because T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint all bundle music to their smartphone plans. Each subscribers will cost just $2 a month.

$2 x 200 million x 12 months = $4.8 billion trade revenue.

The trade recorded music revenue in the USA was $4 billion last year. This is downloads, CD, streaming. Trade revenue is the revenue the music labels get.




Look at AT&T $15 a month for 5 lines Beats Music plan. That's $3 per line. T-Mobile is taking it another step forward and following Cricket Wireless's Muve Music example. T-Mobile might pay as little as $2 per smartphone line. This is the holy grail for the music industry, having all the major carriers bundle music ($2 per smartphone line). T-Mobile success in this will force the other carriers to response.

 

[I7guy]

How does this compare to SiriuxXM internet subscription or other "free" players on IOS? Not talking dollars, talking content.

Personally, a free music subscription would never make a difference to me, and I personally wouldn't use it. I don't use iTunes radio either.

For me, the only scenario I can think of if that might be worthwhile in using the service, if the bandwidth from using the service is not charged against your account.

 

[EbookReader]

How does this compare to SiriuxXM internet subscription or other "free" players on IOS? Not talking dollars, talking content.

Personally, a free music subscription would never make a difference to me, and I personally wouldn't use it. I don't use iTunes radio either.

A music subscription service is “like a magical version of iTunes in which you’ve already bought every song in the world.”

T-Mobile will take it to the next level by making it "FREE."

For me, the only scenario I can think of if that might be worthwhile in using the service, if the bandwidth from using the service is not charged against your account.

There is offline mode. For example, you can use Spotify on your smartphone without costing 1 MB of bandwidth/data. T-Mobile will have something similar.

 

[Primejimbo]

I don't think it's bad news for the others because this for T-Mobile only. How is their content also?

As others pointed out, it's a selling point and not all people will use this as a selling point as well. I'm happy with iTunes, iTunes Match, and iTunes Radio and I'm looking forward with Beats now. I hope Apple combines a deal with iTunes Match and Beats.

 

[richwoodrocket]

T-Mobile to offer free music subscription on June 18 (bad news for Spotify, B...

How would this be implemented on the iPhone?

 

[EbookReader]

I don't think it's bad news for the others because this for T-Mobile only. How is their content also?

As others pointed out, it's a selling point and not all people will use this as a selling point as well. I'm happy with iTunes, iTunes Match, and iTunes Radio and I'm looking forward with Beats now. I hope Apple combines a deal with iTunes Match and Beats.

If you have T-Mobile, you can pay

$10 a month to get Spotify

or

$10 a month to get Beats Music

or

$0 a month to get T-Mobile Music


Which choice will you make?

This will be bad news for Spotify, Rhapsody, Deezer, Beats Music, Google Play All Access etc...

Because the WIRELESS CARRIERS will be the new middleman.

Think of it this way.

Music - Itunes - Music listeners
Music - Spotify - Music listeners

to

Music - AT&T/Verizon/T-Mobile/Sprint - Music listeners

 

[Primejimbo]

If you have T-Mobile, you can pay

$10 a month to get Spotify

or

$10 a month to get Beats Music

or

$0 a month to get T-Mobile Music


Which choice will you make?

Who ever has the better content that I like. What the point of having something for free if it doesn't have anything I like? I rather pay for something if it has the music that I like and listen too.
Me personally, none. I just use iTunes and I like to have all my music in one app. I hate going from app to app for the same thing.
Like I said, I hope Apple makes it so there is a deal with iTunes Match and Beats, like they have now with iTunes Radio. You subscribe to iTunes Match, you get iTunes Radio with no commercials.

 

[EbookReader]

How would this be implemented on the iPhone?

T-Mobile Music App for iOS, Android and Windows.

----------

Who ever has the better content that I like. What the point of having something for free if it doesn't have anything I like?
Me personally, none. I just use iTunes and I like to have all my music in one app. I hate going from app to app for the same thing.
Like I said, I hope Apple makes it so there is a deal with iTunes Match, like they have now with iTunes Radio. You subscribe to iTunes Match, you get iTunes Radio with no commercials.

It's the same content.

Spotify, Beats Music, Muve Music, Rhapsody, Deezer, Google All Access, Xbox Music, Rdio all have the same content.

18 millions + songs to choose from.

 

[Primejimbo]

T-Mobile Music App for iOS, Android and Windows.

Separate app? I'll pass. I hate having bounce from app to app for one thing. Put all my music in one app.

T-Mobile Music App for iOS, Android and Windows.

----------



It's the same content.

Spotify, Beats Music, Muve Music, Rhapsody, Deezer, Google All Access, Xbox Music, Rdio all have the same content.

18 millions + songs to choose from.

And I highly doubt they all have the exact same content, same bit rate, and everything. Just like Netflix, Hulu, and amazon prime all do the same thing, but they all don't have the same content.

 

[EbookReader]

Separate app? I'll pass. I hate having bounce from app to app for one thing. Put all my music in one app.

Let's say your carrier is Verizon.

Verizon is giving you FREE Spotify or Beats Music for LIFE (as long as you have service with Verizon).

For Verizon Android users, download the Android app.
For Verizon iphone users, download the iOS app.
For Verizon Windows users, download the Windows app.

Is this too much hassle?


For new phones, the app will already be pre-installed.

----------

And I highly doubt they all have the exact same content, same bit rate, and everything. Just like Netflix, Hulu, and amazon prime all do the same thing, but they all don't have the same content.

99.99% of the content on Spotify, Beats Music, Rhapsody, Rdio, Google All Access, Deezer is the same.

 

[Primejimbo]

Let's say your carrier is Verizon.

Verizon is giving you FREE Spotify or Beats Music for LIFE (as long as you have service with Verizon).

For Verizon Android users, download the Android app.
For Verizon iphone users, download the iOS app.
For Verizon Windows users, download the Windows app.

Is this too much hassle?


For new phones, the app will already be pre-installed.

for me, yes. I like one app for one thing.

 

[EbookReader]

for me, yes. I like one app for one thing.

which app is that?

Itunes Radio, Itunes Match and Beats Music are three different "apps"

And they cost about $125 a year.


This Verizon Music App for your iphone is free and do pretty much the same thing as the combined Beats Music / Itunes Matched / Itunes Radio.

FREE vs $125 a year for the exact same thing. Easy choice for most people.

 

[Primejimbo]

which app is that?

Itunes Radio, Itunes Match and Beats Music are three different "apps"

And they cost about $125 a year.


This Verizon Music App for your iphone is free and do pretty much the same thing as the combined Beats Music / Itunes Matched / Itunes Radio.

Only it's FREE instead of $125 a year.

iTunes, iTunes Match (is a service, not an app), and iTunes Radio are in the same app and I never said I use Beats. I said I was excited for this seeing and I hope they make it so it's it's like iTunes Radio that you get a deal when you subscribe to iTunes Match that's $25 a year. Also the iTunes Match paid for itself for the next few years because I was able to use it to re-download damaged and scratched CDs I ripped to iTunes. Probably saved a few 100 on that alone.

Free isn't always better also, and as I said before, that aren't the same "exact" thing either. Some have stuff that others done, this is why there is a choice for people.

 

[I7guy]

which app is that?

Itunes Radio, Itunes Match and Beats Music are three different "apps"

And they cost about $125 a year.


This Verizon Music App for your iphone is free and do pretty much the same thing as the combined Beats Music / Itunes Matched / Itunes Radio.

FREE vs $125 a year for the exact same thing. Easy choice for most people.

ITunes radio is a far cry from what I get on the SiriusXM app. SiriusXM let you start early, fast forward, go live, download on-demand content and contains over 155 stations. It's worth it to me for the money.(sic).

I'm not saying it won't be a selling point however, a blanket statement about free vs $125 is an easy choice; I agree if it was the "exact" same thing.

 

[KUguardgrl13]

The carriers tried to run their own music and app stores before the App Store and Google Play, and they never really caught on. Not sure if trying again would be successful. But I'm on Verizon, and they won't give us anything for free.

 

[boomhower]

The carriers tried to run their own music and app stores before the App Store and Google Play, and they never really caught on. Not sure if trying again would be successful. But I'm on Verizon, and they won't give us anything for free.

Agreed. Verizon will never offer this for free. If they can get for a $2 cost they will offer it for a$5 at best. Still half price of the competition. Another thing is the app quality. I really really like Spotify. Tried Beats but the app didn't agree with me. If the app isn't up to far I'll pay for something that is.

 

[KieranDotW]

T-Mobile honestly keeps looking better and better. Counting down the days until I switch this August!

 

[EbookReader]

The carriers tried to run their own music and app stores before the App Store and Google Play, and they never really caught on. Not sure if trying again would be successful. But I'm on Verizon, and they won't give us anything for free.

If T-Mobile bundle something very similar to Spotify/Beats Music/Google All Access Music/Rhapsody to their smartphone rate plan, it will "caught on." The reason is simple: Overnight 30 million + T-Mobile users who have a smartphone will have this music subscription service for free.

Though it really isn't free. It's bundled into the cost of your smartphone plan.

So the wireless carriers, like Cricket Wireless does, will sell you the wireless plan that require:

1) unlimited talk
2) unlimited text
3) unlimited music downloads
4) data (you select how much data you want)

That's the beauty of the bundle. Some users get unlimited talk but only use 200 minutes a month.

 

[Fuchal]

Where does it say t-mobile is going to do this?

 

[keitarou]

I hope it will be more than just this. While free anything is better than nothing, this won't be a game changer or a wireless pain point that T-Mobile has been trying to talk up and solve.

 

[I7guy]

I hope it will be more than just this. While free anything is better than nothing, this won't be a game changer or a wireless pain point that T-Mobile has been trying to talk up and solve.

Especially if there is an upsell on tmobile's part to get this "free" service.

 

[Farplaner]

I'm absolutely against carriers bundling content to their subscription service. Just look at cable providers with their double/triple plays...

Not to mention all the net neutrality implications against competing music services.

 

[JackieInCo]

ITunes radio is a far cry from what I get on the SiriusXM app. SiriusXM let you start early, fast forward, go live, download on-demand content and contains over 155 stations. It's worth it to me for the money.(sic).

I'm not saying it won't be a selling point however, a blanket statement about free vs $125 is an easy choice; I agree if it was the "exact" same thing.

I've gotten tired of SiriusXM and cancelled it because I think it pails to the range of music I get on iTunes Radio.

 

[CEmajr]

I'll probably check it out but I doubt that I would use it over iTunes on my iPhone. I have iTunes Match, which holds my entire music library, then there is iTunes Radio and occasionally I use Pandora.

 

[I7guy]

I've gotten tired of SiriusXM and cancelled it because I think it pails to the range of music I get on iTunes Radio.

Ah, never quite liked itunes radio, although the concept is great. Would rather pay for something I enjoy using and get a lot of use of.