Apple Paying 0.2 Cents for Each Song Streamed Free During Apple Music Trial Period

Apple will pay record labels 0.2 cents for each song that customers stream for free during the three-month Apple Music free trial, reports The New York Times. The rate is similar to what Spotify pays out for songs accessed through its free streaming tier and does not include a smaller payment made to music publishers for songwriting rights.

Apple is still working to complete deals with publishers, but a second report from Billboard suggests the company may pay out an additional 0.047 cents per stream for song rights, for a total payment of approximately 0.247 cents for each song an Apple Music user listens to.

applemusic
Though Apple did not initially plan to pay labels and publishers during the three month free trial it's providing to customers, it reversed course after both a strongly worded letter from Taylor Swift and negotiation difficulties with independent labels who balked at the terms.

The money that Apple is paying per stream during the trial period is significantly less than what rights holders will receive after Apple Music has paying customers, but it appears to have satisfied many indie labels. As of this morning, Apple signed deals with both Beggars Group and Merlin Network, companies that represent more than 20,000 indie labels and distributors.

Apple Music will officially launch next Tuesday in over 100 countries. All customers will receive a free three month trial, after which time a subscription will be required to access the service. Subscription prices vary by country, but in the U.S., an Apple Music subscription costs $9.99 per month for an individual or $14.99 per month for a family of up to 6 users.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Slim Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With 'Major' Design Changes and 19-Inch MacBook Detailed in New Report

Sunday December 15, 2024 9:47 am PST by
Apple is planning a series of "major design" and "format changes" for iPhones over the next few years, according to The Wall Street Journal's Aaron Tilley and Yang Jie. The paywalled report published today corroborated the widely-rumored "iPhone 17 Air" with an "ultrathin" design that is thinner than current iPhone models. The report did not mention a specific measurement, but previous...
Generic iOS 18

Apple Releases First Betas of iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3

Monday December 16, 2024 10:06 am PST by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after Apple released iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2. iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3 can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software update. There's no word yet on what's included in iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3, ...
apple tv 4k yellow bg feature

New Apple TV Rumored to Launch Next Year With These Features

Tuesday December 17, 2024 9:02 am PST by
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year. Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
Magic Mouse Next to Keyboard

Apple 'Working' on Redesigned Magic Mouse With a Long-Awaited 'Fix'

Sunday December 15, 2024 8:43 am PST by
Apple is working on a redesigned Magic Mouse that will address some "longstanding complaints," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said Apple in recent months has been working on a "full overhaul" of the Magic Mouse with a design that "better fits the modern era." However, he does not expect the new Magic Mouse to be released in the "next 12 to 18...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

AirTag 2 Expected to Launch Next Year With 'Considerable' Upgrade to Item Tracking

Sunday December 15, 2024 2:57 pm PST by
Apple plans to release a second-generation AirTag next year with "considerably" longer range for item tracking, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new AirTag will use Apple's second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, or equivalent technology. The chip debuted last year in the iPhone 15 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2, and Apple said it offers up...
Apple TV 4K hero 221018 feature

Here is Everything New for the Apple TV in the tvOS 18.3 Update So Far

Tuesday December 17, 2024 6:25 am PST by
Apple on Monday seeded the first tvOS 18.3 beta to developers for testing. The update will likely be released in January. So far, there are only minor changes for the Apple TV, with one new feature and a few code changes discovered. Below, we outline what is new in tvOS 18.3 so far. Robot Vacuum Support in Home App First, tvOS 18.3 will add robot vacuum support to the Home app on the...

Top Rated Comments

east85 Avatar
124 months ago
Does Apple understand yet that we have data caps of 2GB for most people and that streaming isn't really an option?
Apple may understand that WiFi exists.
Score: 62 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xero9 Avatar
124 months ago
Does Apple understand yet that we have data caps of 2GB for most people and that streaming isn't really an option?
Not everyone has a 2GB cap. Plus there is this magical technology called WiFi. Some of us have it!

Also, Apple Music works on the computer as well.

If you have a crappy data cap and it doesn't work out for you, then simply don't use it. By your logic, Netflix should close up shop too, seeing as some people have crappy data caps!
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
124 months ago
How generous...
1 $ per 404 streams.
Apple has a few million pontential users who will be prompted to try this upon opening their music apps. This is quite fair.

Does Apple understand yet that we have data caps of 2GB for most people and that streaming isn't really an option?
This hasn't stopped Spotify or Pandora. For those whom this isn't an option, they simply won't use it.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Aiwaz418 Avatar
124 months ago
How generous...
1 $ per 404 streams.
That's actually slightly more than I make from my material on Spotify.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Aiwaz418 Avatar
124 months ago
Wifi exists in your work place for your personal use? probably not.
Yes, in fact, they do.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jmausmuc Avatar
124 months ago
How generous...
1 $ per 404 streams.

Edit: many people are saying paying this little is enough, because it adds up with millions of users.
Are you guys serious? Those are all users who may have otherwise payed 99ct per song.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)