New ‘Apple Music’ streaming service to feature three-month free trial

Beats Music (teaser 003)

Apple’s upcoming streaming music service will offer a lengthy free trial period to new users, according to the Financial Times. Citing sources familiar with the company’s plans, the outlet says that ‘Apple Music’ will be free for the first 3 months.

Apple hopes the extended trial period will give users plenty of time to immerse themselves in the service, making it harder to cancel. For comparison, Spotify currently offers a 30-day free trial, and Rdio’s Unlimited trial period lasts just 2 days.

The 3 month trial also helps make up for the fact that Apple Music won’t include a free tier, such as those offered by Pandora and other competitors. Beats co-founder and newly-minted Apple executive Jimmy Iovine has opposed free music for years.

That being said, Apple is going to continue offering its ad-supported iTunes Radio service. FT’s Tim Bradshaw reports that Apple has recruited rapper Drake and several other celebs to serve as special DJs, eschewing algorithms for artists’ personal tastes.

The Cupertino firm is expected to announce Apple Music during its WWDC keynote next Monday, with a price tag of $9.99 per month. Additionally, it’s also likely to discuss the future of iOS and OS X, and its new Apple Watch kit for building native apps.

Source: Financial Times