Apple Music

NOW DOMINATING MUSIC AND VIDEO

- Benjamin Kerry & Gavin Lenaghan

It was only a few years ago that Spotify felt like the only palatable option for music streamers. The service was at the music streaming market’s summit in both user base and software functionality - however, in just three years since Apple Music began, this rival service has slowly but surely chipped away at Spotify’s pedestal. On multiple counts, Apple Music is now well on its way to dominating both music and video playlists - and, in certain respects, already is.

A NUMBERS GAME WHERE APPLE MUSIC IS HOLDING ITS OWN

Apple Music’s growth trajectory has been impressive; as recently as April 2016, the subscribers numbered 13 million. By the end of that year, the subscriber base broke the 20 million milestone, and growth after that was rapid as the service reached a tally of 30 million subscribers by October 2017. It’s little surprise that Apple Music anticipates reaching 60 million subscribers by the end of this year. However, it remains worth asking whether the service is outpacing market leader Spotify.

A close look at the figures suggests that it is. Variety reports that Apple Music had 36 million subscribers in February, 38 million the following month and, as per Tim Cook’s revelation in an earnings call, 40 million in April. However, these particular figures exclude subscribers on free trials, unlike the previously mentioned 50 million figure. Therefore, Apple Music is currently adding 2 million to its subscriber tally every month. By comparison, how is Spotify faring?