Apple's music streaming service Apple Music is on its way to Israel. "Globes" has learned that the service, launched in July in 100 countries, will start to work in Israel in the first quarter of 2016. Apple Music is a service that enables people to listen to music albums or individual songs on demand. The service has over 30 million songs, with a respectable Israeli catalogue. In addition, it is possible to listen to artist-curated radio stations and to Apple's radio station Beats 1, which broadcasts from Los Angeles, New York and London.
Apple offers a three-month subscription free, after which the subscription fee is $10 (NIS 38) monthly, with a family plan for up to six users. Apple may price the service lower in shekels, as it does for its music store iTunes.
Apple also offers a basic free service that comprises Beats 1 and radio stations based on the music of particular artists and songs in the same style. The free subscription carries advertising, and limits the number of times a day that a song may be accessed.
Apple Music works on all Apple products, from its smart watch to its laptops and Apple TV. The service is also available on Windows-based computers, and will shortly be available on Android smartphones as well.
This is a service that could shake up the most important music streaming services in Israel: Pelephone Musix, Cellcom Volume, and Orange MyBeat, which charge NIS 20 monthly. Two overseas services are available in Israel: Tidal and Rdio, which cost NIS 30 monthly.
Apple is the only one of the three technology giants (the other two being Google and Microsoft) that provides its content services in Israel. It launched its online music and movie store iTunes here in late 2012.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on October 19, 2015
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