iTunes Radio will become paid

Today, Apple started to send emails to all of its users to warn that in the end of this month, a service called iTunes Radio will work only if you are subscribed to Apple Music. The transition to a new model will take place on January 28.

iTunes Radio was firstly introduced in 2013. Since the launch of the service it has been working on the shareware model, which means that users could listen to the tracks, but from time to time they could be interrupted by advertisements. Additionally, there were limitations on the number of tracks that you could scroll per hour.

It is believed that the transition to a new model of distribution is caused due to several reasons. Firstly, by making iTunes Radio paid, Cupertino is planning to increase the number of subscribers to Apple Music. Secondly, changes in distribution model are associated with the closing of the other apple service – iAd.

Let us remind that the cost of the Apple Music subscription costs $9.99 per month for a single user, however there are other plans like family plan that grants access for up to 6 people and costs only $14.99 per month. Apple Music service is constantly growing and we can expect that the price for subscription might grow as well.