<\/p>\n
Apple<\/a><\/strong> appears to be working on new subscription tiers for Apple Music<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 potentially including a lower-cost option with restricted features.<\/p>\n That\u2019s according to two lines of code spotted in the beta version of the Apple Music<\/strong> app for Android<\/strong> by tech analyst Aaron Perris<\/strong>, a contributor to MacRumors<\/em>.<\/p>\n The discovery, first reported by 9to5Mac<\/em><\/a> on Friday (May 29), includes references to \u201cPremium access required\u201d and an error message reading \u201cCan\u2019t skip any more tracks\u201d \u2013 language that implies a tiered access structure with feature limitations for non-premium users.<\/p>\n Perris<\/strong> shared the findings in a post on X<\/a>, noting that the code references could also relate to something other than a new subscription tier \u2013 such as radio stations.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s possible this could be for something unrelated like radio stations,\u201d Perris<\/strong> noted<\/a>.<\/p>\n Skip limits on free or lower-priced tiers are a familiar feature of Apple Music<\/strong>\u2018s competitors.<\/p>\n Spotify<\/a><\/strong>\u2018s ad-supported free tier historically restricted mobile users to shuffle-only playback and capped the number of track skips per hour. The platform scrapped its shuffle-only restriction for free users<\/a> in September 2025, allowing free users to pick and play specific tracks on demand for the first time, though the skip cap and ads remain.<\/p>\n Apple Music<\/strong> has never offered a free ad-supported tier \u2013 and its leadership has been vocal about why.<\/p>\n In an appearance on Billboard<\/a><\/em>\u2018s On the Record<\/em> podcast<\/a> in April, Apple Music<\/strong> VP Oliver Schusser<\/a><\/strong> was asked what he didn\u2019t like about the music industry.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure you\u2019ve heard me say this: I think \u2018free\u2019 was a terrible idea,\u201d Schusser<\/strong> said.<\/p>\n \u201cApple Music is the only service that doesn\u2019t have a free tier, and believe it or not, we are really proud of that.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst of all, we really look at music like art\u2026 We think when an artist spends nine months in a studio to make a piece of [incredible] work, no one in the world should think it\u2019s okay to give that away for free.\u201d<\/p>\n Schusser<\/strong> also compared the music streaming model to film and television, arguing that platforms such as Netflix<\/a><\/strong> and Disney+<\/strong> built large subscriber bases without offering free tiers, and that music streaming services\u2019 reliance on ad-supported access has depressed what listeners are willing to pay.<\/p>\n That position places Apple<\/strong> at odds with the direction taken by its largest streaming rival.<\/p>\n Spotify<\/strong> has long used its free tier as a funnel to convert listeners into paying subscribers \u2013 and has continued to expand the on-demand features available to ad-supported users, even as it raises the price of its Premium<\/strong> subscription.<\/p>\n The discovery of tiered-access code comes as Apple Music<\/strong> faces a well-documented subscriber growth challenge relative to Spotify<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Apple<\/strong>\u2018s share of US digital music subscribers dropped to 25%<\/strong> at the end of 2024<\/strong>, down from 30%<\/strong> in 2020<\/strong>, according to MIDiA Research<\/strong> data cited by The Wall Street Journal<\/em>. Globally, its subscriber share shrank to 12%<\/strong> from 16%<\/strong><\/a> over the same period.<\/p>\n Apple<\/strong> has responded with a series of moves to attract and retain subscribers. In February<\/strong> 2025<\/strong>, the company launched a promotional subscription rate of $2.99<\/strong> for six months<\/a>, less than 50 cents<\/strong> per month, timed to coincide with the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show<\/strong>.<\/p>\n More recently, in March<\/strong> 2026<\/strong>, Apple Music<\/strong> struck partnerships with Bandsintown<\/strong> and Ticketmaster<\/a><\/strong> to surface concert listings and ticket links directly within the app.<\/p>\n And in August<\/strong> 2025<\/strong>, the platform expanded its radio stations beyond its own ecosystem for the first time<\/a> through a partnership with TuneIn<\/strong>, giving 75 million<\/strong> additional monthly users access to Apple Music<\/strong>\u2018s commercial-free programming.<\/p>\n