Apple Music Free Streaming Period Costs Apple

Musicians expect to be paid for their music being used even if the listeners aren't paying the company who is streaming it. Details on how much Apple is paying during the free trial period for Apple Music has surfaced and the iPhone maker is reportedly shelling out 2 cents per song streamed during the trial period. That doesn't seem like much money, but considering that some people stream music constantly for hours at a time, it can add up very quickly.

Reports indicate that the two cents Apple is paying per song during that trial period is on par with what Spotify pays for each song streamed via its free streaming tier. That cost doesn't include a smaller payment made to music publishers for songwriting rights.

That smaller amount is tipped to be 0.047 cents per stream to songwriters making the total Apple pays out per song streamed 0.247 cents each per Apple music listener. Apple had originally planned to skip paying for songs streamed altogether during its free trial period, but the tech giant ran afoul of Taylor Swift.

Apparently, the Swift camp sent a letter to Apple concerning the lack of payment. Apple also ran into negotiation difficulties with independent labels and distributors for the non-payment plans. Apple Music pays significantly more money for each song streamed after the customers are paying for the service, but exactly how much it pays is unknown. Apple music will launch next Tuesday and will cost $9.99 monthly for individuals and $14.99 monthly for a family of up to six users.

SOURCE: Macrumors