I see that in order to defend my point I will have to address each group of listeners separately.
Those that listen to only a few tracks:
aka the 1% of population I’m in. Just buy your tracks, it’ll save money quick.
Those who listen to a lot of music, but on a constant rotation:
e.g., you listen to lots and lots albums but on a consistent basis. If you buy your tracks, eventually you will save money compared to Apple Music.
Those who listen to LOTS of music and never on a consistent pattern:
SPOTIFY HAS A FREE PLAN!!! you can sample all the music you want without paying a dollar. Yes, Apple Music might have better app/ecosystem integration. But if you can save those $$$, why not?
Because Apple Music allows me to mix the tracks I rent (through subscription) and the totally obscure music I love, own and upload to the service without any difference. Apple Music is iTunes Match plus a subscription service. That’s a killer combination that I had been looking for for years.
No. Curated playlists was a central Apple Music selling point to me.
Background: in my opinion, the best future is a curated future, and in a world of too much false choice, I value curation greatly. I think many of us running Apple hardware and software specifically value this subset of choice greatly: it’s usually well thought out.
But: I have been disappointed both with Apple Music’s usability and its curated playlists – it’s not horrible, but, as I wrote, I (only) kinda like it. Translated into my personal calculus of costs: not worth it. Other people will of course come to different conclusions, but I’d postulate it’s not a foregone conclusion everyone will find Apple’s implementation of streaming music superior.
Your appeal to taste – specifically interesting taste – is easily Apple Music’s best selling point. But I’m not there yet. (Maybe I’m “holding it wrong?” ) Perhaps you’d share some of the playlists you find interesting? I know I’d take a good look. (BTW I teach critical appraisals of that tricky word “taste” at a university; the subject is endlessly fascinating to me.) The rest of my family is sold on streaming so we’ll be keeping it, but I’d love to get more personal value out of Apple Music.
Finally I think it’s worth underscoring that nothing’s stopping any of us from entertaining other points of view.
Spotify’s free plan plays a lot of ads and mobile plays are/were limited beyond that. I used to make do with free Spotify and an ad muter when I listened to a lot of music on desktop, but that’s rare anymore as I’ve found great benefit in keeping all my personal stuff off my work laptop.
Certainly realize I’m blessed to be okay with $180/year just so my family can enjoy more music, more conveniently.
Just as with option packages on cars, you’re gonna end up buying some stuff you don’t want to get the bundle of stuff you do want - and spend more than you planned/wanted to.
$15/month for Music
$5/month for Arcade
$5/month for Apple TV+
$3/month for 200GB iCloud storage
This bundle will probably cost ~$30/month and it’ll come with News+ and/or something else you aren’t interested in. They’ll pitch it as “it’s a $45 value that you’re getting for $30” but it’s still $2 more expensive than a la carte for the bits you really want.
The argument that package deals offer things in the package that might not be universally wanted equally is a given, but so what? If the deal works for you you take it otherwise not. Besides, what appeals to some won’t for others: I’m a big user of News+ and use it for the WSJ and other firewalled news sites, plus 4-5 magazines/month (and I have zero interest in the Games subscription).
It is hard to say whether Apple will offer one deal or several as well: I suspect they’ll have an edu offer, as well as pricing that might include non-Family plans, or include add-on pricing to increase iCloud storage to its maximum (perhaps going beyond 2Tb, perhaps even including backup [eventually]).
The most Apple-like thing is a single plan though… at least at the outset, but offering different tiers clearly and cleanly on the web is not exactly rocket science either.
EDIT: According to the Gurman report that this thread is based on, which I just read,
There will be different tiers, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private plans. A basic package will include Apple Music and Apple TV+, while a more expensive variation will have those two services and the Apple Arcade gaming service. The next tier will add Apple News+, followed by a pricier bundle with extra iCloud storage for files and photos.
So guessing about a single plan doesn’t seem to be right, even though simplicity can itself be a selling point.
Plus demand for a service isn’t all or nothing. There are people who don’t want News+ for $10/mo more but do at $7/mo more. Or maybe they choose ATV+ instead of another cheap channel like ComedyCentral’s because it’s $4 more (same price) instead of $5. A bundle can let them offer that without making the discount too widely available a la carte.
That’s a good point. I’ve historically topped up my iTunes account with gift cards purchased at a 15% discount, so I have been more apt to try services and buy apps as a result. (Last year I redeemed a discounted one-year gift card and an Apple pop-up offered me a 1-yr Apple Music subscription [extension-] for $99 so I took it; given the discounted gift card, AM has cost me only $7.08/month.)
But all those gift card deals have dried up now that Apple has recently consolidated its iTunes gift card with the Apple (hardware) gift card. No deals to be had, even the once always-available 5% discounts Costco offered for over a decade. If deals don’t return I know I will be more prudent about my purchases.
This move is clever by Apple, it follows the guidelines set out by experts in the field of customer centricity. Amazon is completely obsessed by this way of doing business.
By offering customers more diverse packages, they feel that a company is catering more to them. This means the service feels more personalised and makes consumers spend more. I know this as my primary area of academic research is customer centricity.
…
) Perhaps you’d share some of the playlists you find interesting? I know I’d take a good look. (BTW I teach critical appraisals of that tricky word “taste” at a university; the subject is endlessly fascinating to me.) The rest of my family is sold on streaming so we’ll be keeping it, but I’d love to get more personal value out of Apple Music.
