Several weeks ago, rumors surfaced about Apple's plan to slash its Apple Music pricing. While this is not yet happening at this point, Apple Music just expanded its discount scheme to students who are enrolled in a college or university in 20 other countries.
Apple Music Discount Details
The student discount, which hovers around 50 percent, means that students will only need to pay around $4.99 for the subscription fee. It has been implemented in the United States along with Australia, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom since the student membership program was introduced last May.
The new coverage includes Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Chile, Colombia, Finland, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.
There are probably those who are wondering why their country is not yet included. This could be because Apple is using a system called UNiDAYS in order to verify whether a subscriber is really a student. Chances are the third-party service might not yet have access to the student or school database in the excluded countries.
How To Avail Of The Apple Music Price Cut
For students enrolled in the supported locations, confirming eligibility is easy. The UNiDAYS mechanism will immediately verify if a subscriber is, indeed, enrolled in a school that grants a degree.
Aside from UNiDAYS, students can also use either their school's email address during registration or they can simply use the service through a campus Wi-Fi system. Access is automatically granted for the latter.
It is important to note that student subscribers will be asked to confirm their subscriptions regularly. Those who have been enjoying student subscription for 48 months will automatically be transferred to the music service with full pricing.
Raising The Bar In Music Service
The expansion of the discounted student pricing scheme forms part of Apple's recent improvements to the Apple Music platform. For example, it has introduced several interface changes recently, such as the reinstitution of the star rating system. This could also include the price cuts rumored to take place during the holiday season.
These initiatives are seen as Apple's response to the growing competition in the music streaming industry. This is demonstrated in the entry of Amazon's music service and its cheap subscription prices. The base package for Amazon Echo owners, for instance, is $3.99. The company is even bundling the music service for free to Prime subscribers.
