Apple to start charging for iTunes Radio starting Jan 28

However, from January 29th, there will be no free riders in the United States or Australia either.

Ad-supported ad-supported stations originally part of iTunes Radio were included in the rollout of Apple Music, and it’s those stations that are being discontinued. (This is different than the Beats Music app, which was recently shut down). Additionally, with an Apple Music membership, listeners can access dozens of radio stations curated by our team of music experts, covering a range of genres, commercial-free with unlimited skips. This means if you want to listen to any iTunes Radio stations you will be required to have an Apple Music subscription.

In an email that is now rolling out to customers, Apple announced that they will be getting rid of the ad-supported iTunes Radio stations on January 29.

iTunes Radio worked a lot like Pandora – customized radio listening, but with limited skips and no control over the order songs played. The company is still offering a free three-month trial for new Apple Music customer, just as it’s done since the premium service first debuted.

Ad-supported stations were subject to other limitations that the paid Apple Music versions don’t have.

MusicWatch, a music research company, conducted a survey of nearly 5,000 US users regarding their knowledge about the service and how much they liked it. It was revealed that nearly 41% of Apple Music users had stopped paying for the service.