What was a free service a month ago, today is no more. Apple has decided to charge fees for their Apple Music three-month trial in some countries.
Don’t worry – the fee is not big, but it still makes us wonder why did the company choose to charge for a trial (which is usually free of charge). According to Apple Insider, users from three countries are affected by the change, so far. If you live in Australia, Spain or Switzerland make sure to check if the update has reached you and if so, be careful what you agree to – if you don’t want to pay the price.
Speaking of the price, the fee for a three-month trial is the equivalent of 99 cents in the local currency. No, it’s not much, but is it fair? And will this fee reach other countries too? Apple Insider speculates that the reason behind this change of heart is royalties demanded by artists. Initially, the company hadn’t planned to pay royalties during the trials but now, things are different. The company may wish to recover some of those costs.
Apple Music is, after all, a low-cost service that allows iPhone owners to stream millions of songs from the huge Apple library. It’s also a way to find out about similar tunes to the ones you already listen on repeat, thanks to the company’s recommendation engine. Think about it – once you’re subscribed there, what reason is there to buy an artist’s album?!
So, what do you think: are artists right to ask for royalties, even from trials? And how do you feel about paying what once was a free trial?
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