Apple Music Subscription Rate Hike
For several years I've been paying for a Family plan with Apple Music for me, my wife, and my son.
I've been willing to pay the $14.99 per month ($16.04 including tax) for this family plan because of the convenience in being able to listen to their vast music library ad-free, on-demand, on a variety of devices.
Last week I received an email from Apple informing me that, starting in November, they are raising the price of this plan from $14.99 to $16.99 per month.
Over the past three years I've paid $577.44 for this service. Over the next three I'll pay approximately $650 with this price increase. I have to seriously consider whether it's really been worth what I've paid thus far and whether it will be worth paying even more.
Despite my frustrations with streaming services – particularly the fact that albums and songs that you may have added to your own “library” can disappear without warning at any time due to licensing agreements – I have to admit the convenience and selection are probably still worth paying for even with the price increase.
My wife and son probably use Apple Music more than I do, and they both enjoy it. And most of the time I enjoy it, too. If we didn't use Apple Music, we'd probably use a similar service like Spotify. Can we live with out it? Sure. And we would if we needed the money more than the service. But for now, we'll keep it.
Maybe I'm showing my age, but I personally prefer to hedge my bets. I'm a big fan of Bandcamp and regularly purchase and download music from there. And if there is an album I particularly like and I want to ensure I can listen to it when I desire, I will purchase it on CD, if available. I've been burned too many times by disappearing content on streaming services.
#100DaysToOffload (No. 34) #tech #music