On June 30, 2015, Apple launched [Apple Music](https://appleinsider.com/inside/apple-music "Apple Music") that has brought music pleasure to millions, a social media feature you probably don't remember and cost Apple billions in fines.

It's fine to be nostalgic for red blobs.

If you joined Apple Music when it [first launched](https://appleinsider.com/articles/15/06/11/everything-you-need-to-know-about-apple-music) and have stayed with it since, you have easily paid out more than a thousand dollars. The price has gone up over the years, too, plus there are more expensive tiers with a family plan, cheaper ones with the student offering, and Apple Music is also part of the [Apple One bundle](https://appleinsider.com/inside/apple-one/tips/is-the-apple-one-subscription-bundle-worth-it-in-fall-2023), but you've been paying something for over a decade.

What won't have happened during that time, though, is that you've ever had the service for free — at least not other than some limited-time trial periods. Unlike its rivals, specifically Spotify, Apple Music does not offer a free ad-supported version.

[Continue Reading on AppleInsider](https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/06/30/apple-musics-ten-years-billions-of-dollars-in-fines-and-one-failure?utm_source=rss) | [Discuss on our Forums](https://forums.appleinsider.com/discussion/240840?urm_source=rss)