Apple Music partners with Beggars Group & Merlin; to pay 0.2 cents per song during free trial

Apple has signed deals with two major indie music rights holders: Beggars Group and Merlin Network, which represents over 20,000 indie labels and distributors. The deal happens just about when Apple agreed to pay artists on a per-stream basis during the free streaming music.

The British-based company, Beggars Groups, that distributes labels such as 4AD, Rough Trade Records, Matador Records, and XL Recordings. The company also represents artists like Adele, Arcade Fire and Radiohead. On the other hand, Merlin Network is an group of several smaller labels.

SEE ALSO: Apple Announces Music Streaming Service Apple Music With 24/7 Global Radio Station And More

As Apple's Music service nears its June 30 debut, more information about its free streaming service are coming out.

According to a report by The New York Times, Apple is reportedly to pay record labels 0.2 cents for each song stream for free during the Apple Music free trial. The rate is quite similar to what Spotify pays for songs accessed via free streaming tiers.

Meanwhile another report, by Billboard, suggests that, Apple is still working on a deals with publishers and may pay an additional 0.047 cents per stream for song rights. This might sum-up for a total payment of approx 0.247 cents for each song that user stream on Apple Music.

Apple Music will be available for over 100 countries by the end of this month. All Apple Music users will get a free three-month trial, later a subscription will be required to access the services. Apple Music subscription costs $9.99 per month for individual and $14.99 per month for a family up to 6 users in the U.S.

SEE ALSO: Google Launches Free Music Streaming Service Ahead of Apple Music Debut

The search engine giant, Google is also in the competition in the music domain with Apple Music and Spotify. Ahead of Apple Music debut, Google has announced the free version of its music streaming service to directly rival the upcoming Apple Music streaming service.

Google's music service is available online, and will come to Android and iOS devices by the end of this month.

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