Update – Apple has since debunked the rumors. According to a statement made to Recode Apple rep Tom Neumayr responded by saying, “Not true.”
Right now Apple has two services in which you can find and listen to music. One is through Apple Music, a streaming service where you can find songs that you want or tune into a digital radio station. The second is through iTunes in which you can find music, pay for them track-by-track/album and download them onto your computer.
The latter is great if you like the idea of being able to listen to your songs even without an internet connection. However according to a report from Digital Music News, it seems that Apple could be considering eliminating music downloads in the future, and that future could be happening in the next 2 years.
According to their sources, they have told the publication that Apple has come to the realization that “keeping [iTunes music downloads] running forever isn’t really on the table anymore.” The Cupertino company has also discussed the possibility to “ride the [iTunes music download offering] out for the next 3-4 years, maybe longer.”
While iTunes might have been the darling of the digital music industry back in the day, sales of music via the platform has been declining over the past few years, and based on that it is only expected to keep going down. In fact we have seen how some record labels claim that streaming has become one of their biggest source of revenue. In any case take it with a grain of salt for now, but how do you guys feel about Apple possibly eliminating music downloads in favor of streaming?
Filed in . Read more about Apple Music, iTunes and Music.