Although Apple launched itself into the world of music streaming back in June with their new platform Apple Music, Spotify remains the current frontrunner with nearly 3 times as many paid subscribers. Will Apple Music survive in this competitive environment?
According to CNET, now that the tech giant has ended its initial three month free-trial period, they have announced that 6.5 million people have continued with their service as paid subscribers. Additionally, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed at the WSJD Live conference in California that another 8.5 million late bloomers are still taking advantage of the free trial, which means that there are technically 15 million customers in total.
"I think it's fabulous, and to have over 15 million on there, and 6.5 million in the paid category, I'm really happy about it," said Cook. "And I think the runway here is really good."
Spotify claims that it currently has 20 million paid subscribers, and although the figure is much higher than Apple's, Apple's figures suggest that they are the second most popular streaming platform, ahead of Tidal and Napster/Rhapsody.
Could Apple's numbers be bolstered by people who simply forgot or don't know how to cancel their subscription? Guess we'll find out in the coming months. If you're one of the current paid subscribers or you've just been enjoying the free trial and cannot figure out the user-unfriendly platform, check out Apple's guided tour of their Apple Music Playlists feature, below.
In a recent video interview for Vanity Fair, Apple Music executive Jimmy Iovine threw jabs at Spotify for offering a "free" option, stating, "We have a problem in the industry, I believe... This whole 'free' issue. The television industry doesn't have it, the movie industry doesn't have it, but the record industry has it." Would you say that you agree?
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