Apple Music Has 11 Million Free Subscribers
The streaming service has snagged half the number of Spotify’s paid users. But will they stick around once the free trial is up?
Apple executives say that 11 million subscribers have signed up for Apple Music’s free trial, USA Today reported Thursday. The streaming music service launched just over a month ago on June 30, and charges users $10 per month.
Eddy Cue, senior VP of Internet software and services, notes that of the current subscriber base, about 2 million have signed up for the family plan, which increases the monthly fee to $15 and gives up to six people access to one account. “We’re thrilled with the numbers so far,” Cue told USA Today.
Apple has already racked up half as many trial subscribers as Spotify has paid users. These numbers, however, mean little to nothing for Apple if those subscribers don’t opt to start paying once Apple Music’s three-month free trial period ends. Given that competitors like Spotify, which launched its streaming platform back in 2008, offer a free tier, it’s possible a good chunk of Apple’s subscribers may not stick with the service come fall. Of Spotify’s 75 million total active users, 55 million use the free, restricted version of the service.
Business Insider executive editor Jay Yarow also points out that 11 million is a drop in the bucket when you consider how many people own iPhones.
There are about 500 million iPhone owners in the world, he says; of those people, 58% have upgraded their phones with the latest software update that makes Apple Music available. According to his calculations, this means barely 4% of people who can use the streaming service actually are.
Read more about Apple Music at USA Today.
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