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TechApple

Apple To Kill Free iTunes Radio

By
Verne Kopytoff
Verne Kopytoff
Senior Editor, Tech
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By
Verne Kopytoff
Verne Kopytoff
Senior Editor, Tech
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 15, 2016, 8:41 PM ET
Apple Worldwide Developers Conference Opens In San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JUNE 08: Apple CEO Tim Cook delivers the keynote address during Apple WWDC on June 8, 2015 in San Francisco, California. Apple's annual developers conference runs through June 12. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)Photograph by Justin Sullivan — Getty Images

Apple is ending its ad-supported iTunes Radio online music service on Jan. 29, marking a major change in strategy for the tech giant.

Only Apple Music subscribers who pay $10 monthly will be able to get access to the dozens of stations, according to an email Apple sent to users on Friday and obtained by various news outlets including BuzzFeed.

ITunes Radio, which debuted in 2013, is a Pandora-like streaming service that lets users listen to programmed music over which they have only limited control beyond choosing a particular station and skipping six songs per station per hour. It is available only in the U.S. and Australia.

Apple’s only remaining free streaming option will be Beats 1, a radio station that is part of its Beats music service.

For more about Apple Music, watch:

The decision by Apple (AAPL) to make the changes to iTunes Radio is likely an effort to increase its music subscription business amid a rivalry with Spotify. Apple Music lets listeners chose the songs they want to listen to, for a fee. Apple Music, which premiered six months ago, is said to have attracted 10 million paid subscribers.

About the Author
By Verne KopytoffSenior Editor, Tech
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Verne Kopytoff is a senior editor at Fortune overseeing trends in the tech industry. 

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