Music Execs Wary of Potential Apple ‘Mega Bundle’ Ahead of Apple TV+ Launch

With Apple TV+ launching in less than a month, Apple execs are looking into ways they can bundle the upcoming service with Apple Music.

According to a new report from Financial Times, the idea is being met with wary eyes of some record labels, who are concerned about the idea of Apple potentially bundling its music streaming service and recently-announced TV+ video service for a single monthly fee.

“While some labels are open to the idea, people at one big record company said they had concerns, and that the industry was growing more wary about its relationship with Apple, which strong-armed labels a decade ago into selling individual songs for $0.99 on iTunes,” reads the report.

The early-stage talks haven’t yet included discussions of pricing, but some of the record label executives are concerned about the potential harm of an Apple bundle undercutting the $10 USD price that Apple Music and the majority of its competitors charge.

The creation of an Apple services bundle would obviously make a lot of sense for the Cupertino company, especially considering rivals like Amazon offer similar bundled services.



Services like Apple TV+ and Apple Music are crucial to the company’s goal of increasing output from its services-related businesses. As the company has launched Apple Music, news subscription service Apple News+, gaming service Apple Arcade, and soon Apple TV Plus, analysts and consumers both have been eyeing the possibility that Apple would offer a mega-media bundle at a discount.

“With Apple TV+, we are presenting all-original stories from the best, brightest and most creative minds, and we know viewers will find their new favourite show or movie on our service,” said Zack Van Amburg, Apple’s head of Worldwide Video, speaking in September.

“Each Apple TV+ original offers its own unique story, fresh perspective and powerful message — all meant to entertain, connect and inspire cultural conversations.”

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