Apple Music signs on 11 million users, for free
Johnny Iovine announces Apple Music on June 8 in San Francisco.
Apple’s new music streaming service has snagged 11 million users in its first month, the company said Thursday. That’s already half the people using rival company Spotify.
But so far they’re not paying anything. Those users are on a three-month free trial, meaning Apple Music’s popularity won’t be fully gauged until fees of $9.99 a month take effect in October.
The numbers are meaningful, though, because to get the free trial, users have to give their credit card info, and the fees start kicking in after three months unless the customer actively opts out. Just days after Apple Music launched, tutorials sprang up all over the Web with tips on how to cancel.
Spotify took more than five years to build a base of 10 million users. It now claims 20 million members paying $9.99 a month, while 55 million use the free version.
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Apple’s new service matches Spotify’s offering of 30 million songs on demand. It also incorporates a live radio program called Beats 1, which may help it stand out among streaming services. Spotify leads the bunch in number of users, with Pandora, Rhapsody and Google Play as top competitors.
Apple Music has received mixed reviews, directed at both the content and the interface. Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet software and services, told USA Today on Wednesday that Apple would make changes.
“We’re aware that some users have experienced some issues, and we hate letting them down, but we’re releasing updates as fast as we can to address those issues,” he said.
Until an Android version is launched this fall, Apple Music’s mobile version is only available on Apple devices.
Twitter: @dainabethcita
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