> You could equally well say - "why should artists expect to user Apple's IP to market their music for free?" Except that they don't. Apple takes a cut of each

> You could equally well say - "why should artists expect to user Apple's IP to market their music for free?" Except that they don't. Apple takes a cut of each payment just like it does on the App Store. "Artists using Apple's IP for free" is not what's going on here - Apple is stating it will not pay artists in an effort to subsidize its user acquisition efforts. If Apple were forgoing its portion of each subscription payment, while still paying artists their portion, no one would be complaining. Let's put it this way: tomorrow, Apple announces that it will be introducing an "App Store Subscription." For $9.99/month users will receive unlimited access to all apps on the App Store. Developers will receive a share of each user's subscription payments in proportion to app usage. Apple simultaneously announces a 3 month free trial for all App Store accounts, and states that it will be making no payments to developers during that trial since users are not paying for it. Do you feel that this is a fair arrangement?