When Tim Cook unveiled Apple Music last week, commentators asked how the music streaming service would fare in an already very competitive market.
Rather than targeting Spotify, Rdio, and Deezer users, Apple hopes to entice new users into the world of music streaming, by offering a free three month trial of its service.
This free trial may well convince customers of the benefits of paying $9.99 for the possibility of streaming (and saving for offline access) almost any song ever made. However, it is not Apple that is subsidising this free service, but artists themselves who will not be paid a penny for streams of their music by Apple Music free trial users.
Spotify has come under fire in recent months for the per stream rates they pay to artists for free tier users, but those rates now seem generous by comparison to the zero offered by Apple.
Apple has managed to convince the major labels that they should subsidise these free trials, but apparently independent artists are being forced into submission over the subject with threats of removing them from the iTunes store if they don’t agree.
One such artist, Antonne Newcombe recently vented his frustrations about Apple’s bullying tactics on Twitter, visibly irate that the largest company in the world is forcing independent musicians to subsidise their services.
He tweeted:
So @APPLEOFFIClAL has a new deal they offered me: they said we want to stream your music free for 3 months..I said what if I say no,and they
— antonnewcombe (@antonnewcombe) June 17, 2015
(@APPLEOFFIClAL ) said "we'll take your music off itunes. hard ball? fuck these satanic corporations
— antonnewcombe (@antonnewcombe) June 17, 2015
Fucking @iTunes
— antonnewcombe (@antonnewcombe) June 17, 2015
It actually doesn't matter if that account was click bait because the fact remains that a corporation is basically making threats
— antonnewcombe (@antonnewcombe) June 17, 2015
The biggest company on earth wants to use my work to make money for 3 months and pay me nothing – of I say no,I'm banned
— antonnewcombe (@antonnewcombe) June 17, 2015
Apple likes to claim that they have helped musicians by introducing the iTunes store in the face of widespread piracy, but now they are pushing musicians into deals that may well be even worse for them than Napster or Bittorrent. Not only are the artists not getting paid, but Apple is making use of their work as free advertising.
