Apple Discontinues iTunes Radio

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By Jacob Maslow

January 2016 will represent the final month in the life of Apple’s ad-driven iTunes radio.

Beginning January 29 Beats1 will take over as Apple’s free radio service while all other stations that were previously free will now require a paid Apple Music subscription. A subscription costs $9.99 per month or $14.99 for a family subscription.

All paid for music stations under the subscription are commercial free and non-interrupted. Apple has stations designed for specific genres such as rock, hip-hop and jazz, allowing users to tune in and listen to the music they like.

Membership also allows users more control over their listening experience as they can skip songs they don’t like, replay songs they do, and flip from one genre to another with ease.

Figures detailing the numbers of iTunes Radio subscribers are not available. What do you think? Did you ever use iTunes radio? Would you pay for an Apple Radio subscription? Leave us a comment below.

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