Apple introduced iTunes Radio alongside iOS 7 back in 2013 as an answer to Internet radio behemoth Pandora. Like Pandora, it lets you pick pre-programmed stations or create your own stations based on a song or artist. Up until now, iTunes Radio was a free, ad-supported service for most; subscribing to iTunes Match – and later, Apple Music – did away with the ads.
ITunes Radio’s move to a subscription-only model follows word that Apple has disbanded the sales team for its iAd advertising network. 9to5Mac speculates that the decision to end ad-supported iTunes Radio is related to the iAd shutdown, saying that “Apple can simplify the responsibilities of the floundering iAd group by getting rid of the need for ads to service the legacy stations”.
If you would rather keep the ads in your Internet radio in exchange for free music playback, you have some alternatives. Although it’s known primarily for its a la carte streaming, Spotify’s radio service works a lot like both Pandora and iTunes Radio. Spotify offers both a Mac and iOS app, and it too has a €9.99 per month premium service, which does away with the ads and lets you listen to your Spotify music collection when you’re offline.
Macworld
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