Apple Quietly Ends Free iTunes 'Single of the Week' Promotion After 11 Years - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Quietly Ends Free iTunes 'Single of the Week' Promotion After 11 Years

Apple has seemingly ended its weekly iTunes "Single of the Week" promotion that gave out a free music single download each week on the iTunes storefront. As noted by Business Insider, a member of the Apple discussion forums claims an Apple support employee informed him the company decided to drop the weekly promotion.

Screenshot (109)

I contacted iTunes Support and they told me the decision was made to drop the free Single of the Week. Seems they don't want people browsing the Store anymore. I told them that the free single each week got me to the Store and I usually bought a few songs. Now, there's less reason to go. They've stopped the free single in other countries too.

The "Single of the Week" promotion began in 2004, and in a similar vein to Apple's "App of the Week" promotion on the App Store, it gave out free singles every week from artists and bands of varying genres and popularity. Though forum user Bob Foss' confirmation of the promotion's end remains unverified, Apple also recently decided to end its annual "12 Days of Christmas" iTunes Store giveaway.

Volunteers in our forums have tracked the free iTunes Store content in several countries for a number of years, but the 2015 music thread remains empty as evidence of Apple's apparent decision to cancel the promotions.

Related Forum: Mac Apps

Popular Stories

apple pro tell logo

Apple Launches Two Products Today

Friday November 13, 2026 2:37 am PST by
Apple is releasing two new products today, Friday, November 13: the all-new Apple HomeView and the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K, both of which have been available to pre-order since mid-October. Apple HomeView: Apple's new smart home display, powered by Apple Intelligence with Siri AI, for entertainment and managing the home. Available in tabletop and wall-mounted models, it can recognize up...
imac video apple feature

November 20 to Mark the End of an Era at Apple

Wednesday November 11, 2026 7:51 am PST by
Apple has announced that the long-running Apple Support Community discussion forums for user-to-user tech support will be permanently closing on Friday, November 20. The forums have existed in some form for nearly 30 years, so it is the end of an era. Effective immediately, the Apple Support Community forums are in a read-only state, with new posts no longer being accepted. The final message ...
johny srouji

Apple's Johny Srouji Eyed to Replace Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang

Thursday November 12, 2026 4:29 am PST by
Apple's chief hardware officer Johny Srouji is being considered as a potential successor to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang as the chipmaker's board prepares to remove its co-founder, according to Semafor. Citing a person familiar with the matter, the publication identified Srouji as one of the people under consideration for Nvidia's top job. It is unclear if Srouji has yet been approached or...

Top Rated Comments

ELMI0001 Avatar
155 months ago
Apple is so damn greedy. It would be nice if they appreciated their customers.

Non-hardware examples;

No 12 days of Christmas. Not a huge deal but no real explanation behind it.

iTunes prices are ridiculous. Yes, they do sales occasionally. But I don't need all the Harry Potter movies for $55. I would like to see some older movies for less than $14.99 occasionally. Perhaps a price more competitive with Blu-Rays or Amazon.

$3.99 and $4.99 to rent a movie? For 24 hours? C'mon. That's ridiculous when there is a Redbox in every McDonalds in the US.

I really wanted to own a copy of The Prestige. I figured iTunes was an easy choice. Until the movie was $17.99. It's $9.99 on Blu-Ray.

I understand there is no need to push product since these files are not taking up any real estate but a sale or competitive prices would be nice.

We're all in the ecosystem, just throw us a bone with some incentives and real sales.

This is coming on the heals of an unfortunate incident last night in which I was unable to stream Capt America on my Apple TV (a movie I purchased on iTunes), but the Netflix app on my Apple TV worked fine. I just remember when it felt like Apple cared about their few customers instead of ripping off all of their customers.

/end rant
Score: 50 Votes (Like | Disagree)
155 months ago
They are probably sick of having to be insulted for giving out some little things for free.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MartinAppleGuy Avatar
155 months ago
With no "12 days of Christmas" and now this, they must be saving up to be making the 12" Macbook Air real affordable ;)
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
al256 Avatar
155 months ago
Tim must still be upset about the whole U2 Songs of Innocence pushback...
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Crosscreek Avatar
155 months ago
Well hey.....times are tough.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
155 months ago
I used to download the free songs, but after a while realized that I almost never liked the songs, rated them as 1 star and lost them in my library. It's been a year or so since I even thought of the free song. I wonder if this is also true for many other users rendering the freebie no longer essential. I also wonder how Apple was compensating the artist and if there is some issue in the contracts. My final wonder of this morning is how the streaming has affected the need for a free song as a way to discover new music/artists.

I wonder a lot.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
HomeView Tidbits: Mirror, Sleep Timer, and Other Details
HomeView Tidbits: Mirror, Sleep Timer, and Other Details
14 hours ago
Siri AI Still Not Enabled on HomePod Mini 2 With Latest Software Update
Siri AI Still Not Enabled on HomePod Mini 2 With Latest Software Update
16 hours ago
Apple Releases tvOS 27.2.1 With Siri AI for Older Apple TVs
Apple Releases tvOS 27.2.1 With Siri AI for Older Apple TVs
17 hours ago
Microsoft 365 Outage Resolving After Nearly 24 Hours
Microsoft 365 Outage Resolving After Nearly 24 Hours
17 hours ago
iPhone Duo Survives 450,000 Folds, but Hinge is Weakening
iPhone Duo Survives 450,000 Folds, but Hinge is Weakening
18 hours ago
Apple TV 4K Launch Day Deal Arrives at Amazon
Apple TV 4K Launch Day Deal Arrives at Amazon
18 hours ago
The MacRumors Show: HomeView and Apple TV 4K First Impressions
The MacRumors Show: HomeView and Apple TV 4K First Impressions
19 hours ago
YouTube App Not Working on Your New Apple TV? Here's the Fix
YouTube App Not Working on Your New Apple TV? Here's the Fix
19 hours ago
Apple Meets Thai Officials Over iPhone Spyware Warnings
Apple Meets Thai Officials Over iPhone Spyware Warnings
20 hours ago
Apple Shares HomeView 27.2 Release Notes With List of Features
Apple Shares HomeView 27.2 Release Notes With List of Features
20 hours ago
HomeView in Québec: Apple Says Canadian French Support to Arrive in Software Update
HomeView in Québec: Apple Says Canadian French Support to Arrive in Software Update
21 hours ago
Apple Watch Ultra 3 Gets Big $250 Discounts Ahead of Black Friday
Apple Watch Ultra 3 Gets Big $250 Discounts Ahead of Black Friday
21 hours ago
Apple Says HomeView Sets New Record in Design-Focused Interview
Apple Says HomeView Sets New Record in Design-Focused Interview
21 hours ago
Best Apple Deals of the Week: AirTag 2 Hits Record Low Price, Plus Early Black Friday Sales
Best Apple Deals of the Week: AirTag 2 Hits Record Low Price, Plus Early Black Friday Sales
21 hours ago
iPhone 18 and 18e Coming in Spring 2027 With A20 Chip
iPhone 18 and 18e Coming in Spring 2027 With A20 Chip
21 hours ago
King Charles to Join Elton John's Apple Music Radio Show
King Charles to Join Elton John's Apple Music Radio Show
22 hours ago
Select 'Apple Home Collection' Accessories Now Available to Order
Select 'Apple Home Collection' Accessories Now Available to Order
22 hours ago
Major Microsoft 365 Outage Continues
Major Microsoft 365 Outage Continues
1 day ago
Apple Launches Two Products Today
Apple Launches Two Products Today
1 day ago
Hands-On With the New Apple TV 4K and Siri AI
Hands-On With the New Apple TV 4K and Siri AI
1 day ago
Siri AI Coming to Older Apple TV 4K Models in tvOS 27.2.1
Siri AI Coming to Older Apple TV 4K Models in tvOS 27.2.1
2 days ago
HomeView Launch Kicks Off as First Orders Reach Customers
HomeView Launch Kicks Off as First Orders Reach Customers
2 days ago
Apple Continues to Move Up iPhone Duo Delivery Dates
Apple Continues to Move Up iPhone Duo Delivery Dates
2 days ago
Apple Explains How HomeView Keeps Camera Data Private
Apple Explains How HomeView Keeps Camera Data Private
2 days ago
Apple Releases Updated HomeView Software 27.2 Before Launch
Apple Releases Updated HomeView Software 27.2 Before Launch
2 days ago
Apple Adds Samsung Foldables to Trade-In Program
Apple Adds Samsung Foldables to Trade-In Program
2 days ago
Apple Sports App Now Features UFC
Apple Sports App Now Features UFC
2 days ago
Trump Says Tim Cook Should Be Nvidia CEO as Jensen Huang Resigns
Trump Says Tim Cook Should Be Nvidia CEO as Jensen Huang Resigns
2 days ago
Apple Releases Emotional 2026 Holiday Ad Featuring MacBook Neo
Apple Releases Emotional 2026 Holiday Ad Featuring MacBook Neo
2 days ago
Apple's Official iPhone 18 Pro Cases and Watch Bands Get Big Discounts on Amazon
Apple's Official iPhone 18 Pro Cases and Watch Bands Get Big Discounts on Amazon
2 days ago