Apple has announced that it is bringing Apple Music, iTunes Movies and iBooks to customers in China. The company said that the music streaming service will roll out on Android phones this fall.
Apple Music, which leaves its free trial period in the US on 30th September, will allow Chinese users to enjoy their favorite music. The company said that it will include a vast line up of international and Chinese releases from local publishers, record labels and film studios. Apple Music in China will feature local artists such as Eason Chan, Li Ronghao, JJ Lin and G.E.M., along with a range of international artists like Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and others. Apple Music also features Connect, which lets fans and artists communicate directly with each other.
“Customers in China love the App Store and have made it our largest market in the world for app downloads. One of the top requests has been more great content and we’re thrilled to bring music, movies and books to China, curated by a local team of experts.”
said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services.
Along with Apple Music, iTunes Movies will let users in China can rent or buy their favorite titles, ranging from global hits like The Avengers: Age of Ultron and Jurassic World and others. Finally, the iBooks Store offers customers a wide selection of both paid and free Chinese language books from top local publishers, including “Big Head Son & Little Head Dad” by Zheng Chunhua,“The Family Belongings of Chinese People” by Ma Hongjie and also Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight”.
Apple Music will be available from September 30, where subscribers can try out the service for free for three months after which they will be charged 10 RMB ($1.6) a month or 15 RMB ($2.4) for a family subscription that allows for six family members. Prices on iBooks start at 0.5 RMB and for iTunes Movies, rentals prices start at 5 RMB while purchases start at 18 RMB. “The Taking of Tiger Mountain”, a Chinese blockbuster movie from late last year, will be free to all iTunes users in China for a limited time.