Apple will begin charging for iTunes Radio

Beginning Jan. 29, iTunes Radio, Apple’s ad-supported streaming service, will no longer be free. The company will make the tool part of Apple Music, which costs $9.99 a month. The update leaves Beats 1, which launched last year corresponding with Apple Music, as the company’s only free music streaming offering.

Launched in September 2013 in the United States and Australia, iTunes Radio is similar to Pandora and other Internet radio services that let you create custom stations based on genres or specific songs.

In comparison to iTunes Radio, Pandora charges $4.99 per month for ad-free music. Spotify, however, also charges $9.99 per month for ad-free streaming.

But compared to its competitors, iTunes Radio does not offer controls over what music is being streamed. You simply select the genre, artist, or song to broadcast similar music. Apple connects the songs being played to its purchase link via iTunes and limits skips to 6 times per hour. Users are also not able to rewind or fast forward songs. However, the subscription-based Apple Music does allow you to pick which songs you want to listen to on-demand and there are unlimited skips available.

“As a listener of ad-supported radio on Apple Music, we want you to know that it’s being discontinued starting January 28,” Apple said. “Beats 1 will now be the premier free broadcast so you’ll continue to get all the best music and culture there with world-class DJs like Zane Lowe and specialty programming from artists like Dr. Dre, Drake, Pharrell Williams, and more.”

And iTunes Radio is not the only ad-supported tool Apple is shutting down this month. Last week, the company revealed that it would shut down iAds, a service that allowed brands to purchase inventory within iOS applications. Shutting down iAds was directly correlated to iTunes Radio being folded into Apple Music.

Earlier in January 2016, Apple Music reported 10 million subscribers, making it the second largest streaming music service, right behind Spotify. By removing the ad-supported music streaming option, Apple may be able to draw in prior iTunes users to pay for Apple Music. At the same time, this may upset consumers not willing to pay for the subscription.

Source: Forbes and Mashable