Apple Music expansion inevitable – analyst

Apple Music is not the only service being made available to the new territories. In Apple’s announcement the App Store, Apple Arcade, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and iCloud are now available in 20 more countries, with noted differences in what the Caribbean received access to, versus what other territories did.

The new Apple Music subscribers in the 52 additional countries have been offered a six-month free trial of the service with access to 60 million songs, with locally curated playlists including Africa Now, Afrobeats Hits and Ghana Bounce.

The looming global recession means expendable income will take a hit even after the six-month period. A few persons have had access to the platform prior to Apple’s expansion but it has not been adopted on a wide scale, which is where the conversation needs to be focused next, said brand marketer and music consultant Donovan Watkis.

STREAMING COST

“The recent Apple Music expansion was inevitable and its delay made the Jamaican market seem irrelevant, but the access is welcomed. However, the cost can’t be the same as North America if they expect to penetrate the market because our income levels do not support a US$9.00-$12.00 per month music streaming platform,” Watkis told The Gleaner.

Those who could afford it, he added, “were already on the platform so it is the new audience that is without a US or UK credit card or VPN that the market entry is targeting. Apple will need to study the market and do deals with the telecoms companies for data specifically for music. They will also need premium packages as well as free packages.” He says it will impact the music industry slower than most may expect. Additionally, the buzz gained in Jamaica on Apple Music “can be fuel for other markets too; it is for us to package our language, our cuisine, and our indigenous faiths and sell it on the platform”.

“If they offer exclusive content that can only be again Apple Music, then the platform will work well for musicians locally in profitable ways. However, they’ll have to do good numbers to sustain such a deal. Nicky Minaj has Queen Radio that is a template that can be used by local DJs and artistes and even producers,” he continued.

Apple Music is not only for music, Watkis also pointed out. Only this week he released a spoken-word album featuring Donald ‘Iceman’ Anderson.

“Getting access to the Jamaican Apple Music stores to stream music may be seen as a small step, but now the destiny of local artistes is not left squarely in the hands of the North American consumers. The poets, authors, the comedians and producers can do a lot with access to the various platforms. For those who are not able to acquire US visas to tour or make relationships for one reason or another, it is also a win once they can encourage their audiences to stream on Apple Music,” he said.