“Apple has signed a deal with Britain’s largest mobile phone network to offer its music subscription service free for six months as it raises the pressure on Spotify by teaming up with telecoms providers,” Nic Fildes reports for The Financial Times. “Customers either joining or renewing their contract with EE will be offered Apple Music free.”
“EE is the largest mobile carrier in Britain, with 27m consumers on its network, giving Apple Music a wide pool of potential customers. It could accelerate its push into streaming after it built a base of 15m paying users, about half the number of Spotify,” Fildes reports. “[Apple] has a similar promotion with Telstra in Australia, although rumours have surfaced of an exclusive deal with Deutsche Telekom in Germany in the past week, which would suggest a wider push to work with the largest operators in each region.”
“Marc Allera, chief executive of EE, has high expectations for the exclusive deal with Apple Music, noting that the amount of music streamed over its network has risen 41 per cent in the past three years,” Fildes reports. “EE will heavily promote the offer with new ads featuring Britney Spears and actor Kevin Bacon. The American singer was also revealed as one of the headliners for the Apple Music Festival in London this September alongside Sir Elton John and Robbie Williams. Mr Allera declined to comment on how revenue would be shared between EE and Apple for people signing up. After the initial six months, and an additional three-month trial offered by Apple to new users, the streaming service costs £9.99.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: So, basically, you get Apple Music for nine months free on EE in the UK!
We don’t know about that first TV ad from EE (shot in one take, or did they go crazy and spring for two?), but it gets the free Apple Music point across, at least.
The only real downside of this is another Kevin Bacon ad. I still don’t understand why in one he randomly pops up in his own audience dressed as a woman.