Apple Music Climbs To 38 Million Subscribers As It Guns For Spotify

It appears that Apple Music has gained 2 million subscribers over the past four weeks, representing a 5 percent jump in a relatively short period of time. At the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, Apple's senior vice president of internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue, disclosed the number of subscribers Apple Music now has, pegging the number at 38 million.

That is up from 36 million in February, and puts Apple Music in the neighborhood of half as many subscribers as Spotify, which is still the king of the hill in the streaming music space. We don't have updated numbers for Spofity, but as of the end of 2017, the company announced it was sitting at 71 million paid subscribers globally. That number has undoubtedly gone up over the past two and a half months.

As to which service is growing faster, it's hard to tell without updated figures from both companies. Around this time four years ago, Spotify had 10 million subscribers in over 56 countries, and was able to add around 5 million more subscribers by the time Apple Music debuted in mid-2015.

Looking ahead, it might be only a matter of time before Apple Music ascends to the top, starting with the US market. Citing "people in the record business familiar with figures reported by two services," The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple's streaming music service was growing at a 5 percent clip each month in the US, versus Spotify's 2 percent growth rate. If those domestic figures are true, then Apple Music would overtake Spotify by summer to become the biggest streaming music service in the US.

Both services are similar, in that they each boast an expansive catalog of music and cost the same—they both run $9.99 per month for an ad-free subscription and on-demand access to songs, and $14.99 per month for a family plan with up to six members for Apple Music and five members for Spotify. There is also a discounted $4.99 per month plan for students.

Where Apple Music has a distinct advantage is in its ecosystem. All Apple devices come preloaded with Apple Music. It's reminiscent of the path Microsoft took with Internet Explorer.

Top Image Source: Pixabay