Apple India today vide a Press Release announced the start of a new service to Apple Phone users.
The new service is Apple Podcast Subscriptions.
This is a major change and its podcast listeners will
have an opportunity to be inspired more by a long list of illustrious podcast
creators.
The new change will roll out from May 1st,
2021 in over 170 countries.
Basically, there are two parts of charges in the Podcast subscriptions
services.
The first part is for the Podcast Creator and the second
part is for the Podcast listener.
Creators have to pay Apple for Access to
multiple tools to enhance the overall Podcast experiences for listeners
Subscribers have to pay Apple for Access to premium
channels, shows, including early access.
In India, INR1799/- is the yearly
fees Podcast creators have to pay every year to Apple.
Once the podcast creator signs up
for Podcast Subscriptions’, he/she can offer 3 plans to listeners.
Free – Fans listen to shows for
free.
Freemium – Fans listen to shows for
free and subscribe for additional benefits.
Paid – Fans pay to subscribe and
listen.
Freemium and Paid plan.
One more feature, which is
introduced is ‘Discover Channels’. Channels are simple ways to group shows. A creator can create multiple channels with individual logos, artwork, and description.
All Channels are accessible to fans only
under the Paid model. Creators can choose to move shows from Paid to Freemium or
Free after a specified period.
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, now accessible from Listen Now.
Listeners will also be able to
access free trials and sample episodes offered by creators and move to subscription
if they wish to.
Creators will receive 70% of the
subscription price at each billing cycle, minus applicable taxes.
After a subscriber accumulates one
year of paid service, creators net revenue increases to 85% of the subscription
price, minus applicable taxes.
Of course, creators another podcast revenue — including any ads — is 100% of creators only.
Apple has yet to announce the actual
payment channels for Creators and Subscribers. If there are recurring subscription
charges, there might be a challenge for Apple to set up a Standing Instruction
on Debit or Credit Cards.
This article may be helpful in
understanding Apple’s challenges in India, “Explained: The RBI’s order on recurring
payments on credit cards “, @ https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-why-auto-payment-for-ott-platforms-may-not-go-through-from-april-1-7251728/
Vide RBI Circular on 'Framework for
processing of e-mandates for recurring online transactions' dt. March 31, 2021,
Reserve Bank of India has made it clear that during the extended timeline, no
new mandate for recurring online transactions shall be registered by
stakeholders, unless such mandates are compliant with the framework.
The next best option is UPI AutoPay service. Let
us wait and watch for the final guidelines.
Disclaimer:
These are my personal thoughts only. The bottom line is Mission #LessCashNotCashLess.
Nothing more-Nothing Less
Source Article: https://www.apple.com/in/newsroom/2021/04/apple-leads-the-next-chapter-of-podcasting-with-apple-podcasts-subscriptions/
I do not own an Apple Phone hence not sure of the the popularity of Apple’s Podcasts in India.
This article published in
2019, may offer some insights. ‘Is podcast the latest trend amongst millennials
in India?’ @ https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/podcasting-growth-is-slowly-picking-up-in-india/articleshow/67398243.cms?from=mdr
This is another
interesting article on top Podcasts "Food For Thought: These Unique
Podcasts Need To Be Bookmarked" @ https://lbb.in/delhi/best-podcasts-online/
