Apple to launch paid podcasts in June
Apple podcasts will have free, freemium and paid podcasts, starting next month.
Apple today announced that it is launching the paid podcasts in June. Apple Podcasts Subscriptions were first announced in April, this year. Also in April, Spotify announced the launch of paid podcast subscriptions.
Apple requires creators to pay $19.99 (US) per year to participate in the Apple Podcasters Program. Plus, Apple takes a 30% cut in the subscription price at each billing cycle. After a subscriber accumulates one year of paid service, Apple’s cut drops to 15%. Spotify’s cut is 5%, and only starts in 2023.
In Apple Podcasts, the pricing for each subscription is set by creators and billed monthly by default. Creators can additionally offer annual billing, which subscribers can manage from their Apple ID account settings.