Apple Music has just struck deals with indie powerhouse Beggars Group and digital rights organization Merlin after reversing its stance on not paying labels and artists during the three month free trial period.
The Beggars Group owns labels such as 4AD, XL, Matador and Rough Trade, and played a big role in the careers of acts such as Radiohead and the Prodigy; Merlin, on the other hand, represents 20,000 indie labels and distributors, including superstar Adele.
While Apple is reportedly paying labels 0.2 cents for each song streamed during the free period, which is significantly less than the full royalties Apple plans to pay once it has paying subscribers onboard, it was enough to convince indies to support the deal.
CEO of Merlin, Charles Chadas, said in a letter to members, "I am pleased to say that Apple has made a decision to pay for all usage of Apple Music under the free trials on a per-play basis, as well as to modify a number of other terms that members had been communicating directly with Apple about. With these changes, we are happy to support the deal."
Apple Music will be launching on 30th June in over 100 countries and will cost US$9.99/month (~S$13.50) or US$14.99/month (~S$20.30) for a family plan that can be shared by up to six people.
Source: Billboard
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