Apple Music is the latest music streaming app to reduce its prices for Indian users. The monthly plan now costs Rs 99 (it was Rs 120 before) and even the family sharing plan now costs Rs 149 (previously it was Rs 199) per month, for six people.
This change comes as a surprise, especially when Apple is the last brand you would consider will be slashing prices of its services, just because others are.
Apple Music (AM) along with Gaana and JioSaavn are now available in the country for less than Rs 100 per month, while Gaana and JioSaavn have gone one step ahead and reduced the prices of their annual packs by a whopping 75 percent, bringing them to Rs 299 for one year.
Many are seeing this is as rebuttal to the launch of YouTube Music and Spotify in the country over the past few months, making the streaming segment a hyper-competitive space in India.
AM is also letting students sign up for Rs 49 per month. All these plans come with the appeal of a three-month free trial, for which users are required to fill in their card details.
Apple Music is a strong product, with millions of titles available across music, artists and even radio stations. However, it has never been a success on Android, most people who’ve tried out AM on the platform would agree.
So, will a price drop of almost Rs 21 help Apple add more paid users to its base? Not exactly.
Does this mean Spotify and YouTube Music entering the country has spooked other streaming platforms? Quite possible, but now it’s up to the user to decide which one of these is worth paying for even though a recent report says that most Indians like services that are free.
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