Apple iCloud $25/year tip insiders
We already know that Steve Jobs will spill all the iCloud details at the WWDC 2011 keynote next Monday; still, that's not stemmed the rush of leaks about the cloud media service. After reports that Apple has signed up its last major label, Universal, there's also been a $25/year price attached to iCloud by the LA Times, along with a different breakdown of who makes what out of the deal.
According to the paper's sources, Apple will share 70-percent of iCloud music revenue with the labels, with 12-percent going to the music publishers believed, as recently as this week, to have been causing headaches in negotiations. That leaves 18-percent for Apple to spend on keeping its huge North Carolina data center up and running, since that's where the servers running iCloud are expected to be located.
Meanwhile, there are earlier rumors that Apple might offer a student discount for iCloud users still in education, potentially taking some of the sting out of the subscription fee. In contrast, Google and Amazon both offer free cloud music services, though they each require users upload their entire catalog of local music to online storage; Apple's system is expected to scan a user's local library and recreate it from digital master copies online, saving time and bandwidth.
We'll find out for sure at WWDC 2011 next week, and SlashGear will be liveblogging the whole Steve Jobs keynote. Join us on Monday, June 6 at 10am PST!