Amazon matches Apple Music on subscription fees for students

By

Amazon Music
Amazon's music service has competed with Apple since day one.
Photo: Amazon

If you’re a student in the U.S., you can now get Amazon’s Music Unlimited service for the same subscription price as Apple Music — thanks to Amazon slicing its fees.

Students who aren’t subscribed to Amazon Prime can get Amazon Music Unlimited for $4.99, the same amount that Apple charges. For Prime subscribing students, a six month subscription meanwhile costs just $6!

Similar reductions are available in the U.K., although in pounds instead of dollars — making the offer slightly more expensive.

Challenging Apple’s dominance

Amazon Music Unlimited burst onto the scene as a challenger to Apple in October last year. The premium service carries the same $9.99 monthly fee as Apple Music for regular users, although (non student) Prime customers get a reduced $7.99 monthly charge — while owners of the Amazon Echo can use an Amazon Music Unlimited subscription through the standalone device for a mere $3.99 per month.

In doing so, Amazon threw down the gauntlet in challenging Apple right from day one. For those who don’t remember, one of the original big rumors about Apple Music was that Apple wanted to charge users five bucks a month, based on the idea that the average iTunes user spends $60 per year on downloaded music, which translates to $5 every four weeks. However, the plan was shot down by record execs and Apple settled on its $10 price point for Apple Music.

Apple is currently focused on improving the value for money of Apple Music by adding original video content, such as its Carpool Karaoke and Planet of the Apps series.

Which, if any, subscription music service do you use? Leave your comments below?

Source: TechCrunch

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