Tech: Apple Music Could Catch up to Spotify in 2016

Disco

Quote:

Apple Music has steadily built its subscriber base despite a few stumbles when it launched. But now one analyst thinks the streaming service could be knocking on the door of one of its biggest rivals by the end of next year.

A new report from media analyst Mark Mulligan of MIDiA Research predicts that Apple Music will end 2015 with just under 8 million paying users and then that total should more than double by the end of 2016 to approach 20 million.

Some users complained about Apple Music’s design and some initial bugs when it went live in June. But, the tech giant’s streaming service said it had picked up a total of 6.5 million paid subscribers by late-October, with another 8.5 million users who were still enjoying the free trial version of the service at that time.

Apple’s AAPL -2.12% biggest competitor in the streaming music space is Spotify, which said in June it had 20 million paid subscribers and 75 million users overall. Mulligan writes in his report that Spotify will continue to grow its subscriber base over the next year and will still end 2016 as the leading music subscription service, only with Apple hot on its heels.

“The wildcards in the equation are whether Apple can do a better job of pushing users from iTunes Radio to Apple Music and what happens when Spotify restates its subscriber number to reflect the impact of $1-a-month 3-month trials,” Mulligan writes in his “Predictions [for] 2016” report.

Spotify recently launched a 99-cent, three-month trial option in an effort to attract even more paid subscribers. Apple Music was able to hang on to roughly 60% of the 11 million users who signed up for its initial free, three-month trial when the service launched at the end of June, successfully converting about 6.5 million of them into paid users.

http://fortune.com/2015/12/17/apple-...y-subscribers/

Spotify ha wig ain't safe

Miley Cyrus

Talent winning

What about Toodle?

Redacted#2

Talent always wins.

Disco

Quote:

Originally posted by Miley Cyrus

Talent winning

What about Toodle?

Definitely a nonfactor at this point.

Brodie

Wait till spotify is forced to drop their free tier. Apple will come out on top then...

Rainsford

Apple Music sucks.

Spotify>>>>>>

Disco

Spotify was terrible when it was new as well. We don't see vast improvements until this past year. I see huge improvements coming for Apple Music in the coming year.

Martyr Of Fame

I would consider switching if they launch a student discount.

Demonce

I will stick with Spotify and TiDAL

musicman101

There's no way the record labels are going to do continue to allow Spotify to stream their music for free, it's literally killed revenue and the gains from the paid subscribers is not nearly enough to make up for the losses that the industry has faced.... Spotify has not killed online piracy at all despite what you streaming stans might think, as long as the Internet exists, so will piracy.

I can see Apple Music eventually overtaking Spotify by the end of the decade, Apple is just a superior company and I bet will pay the top artists a nice chunk of change to promote exclusive content on it. Spotify is the one who loses out by refusing to make specific albums paid-only when the whole company will be forced to switch to it in a matter of time.

Don't be surprised when Vevo and YouTube forces consumers to start paying as well, the music industry is currently dying at a fast pace.

Dessy Fenix

Rainsford

Quote:

Originally posted by musicman101

There's no way the record labels are going to do continue to allow Spotify to stream their music for free, it's literally killed revenue and the gains from the paid subscribers is not nearly enough to make up for the losses that the industry has faced.... Spotify has not killed online piracy at all despite what you streaming stans might think, as long as the Internet exists, so will piracy.

I can see Apple Music eventually overtaking Spotify by the end of the decade, Apple is just a superior company and I bet will pay the top artists a nice chunk of change to promote exclusive content on it. Spotify is the one who loses out by refusing to make specific albums paid-only when the whole company will be forced to switch to it in a matter of time.

Don't be surprised when Vevo and YouTube forces consumers to start paying as well, the music industry is currently dying at a fast pace.

Apple Music (as any other Apple product) is overpriced. Why I would pay extra money for them? I'll stick with Spotify.

hooky

Quote:

Originally posted by ianBK4

Apple Music (as any other Apple product) is overpriced. Why I would pay extra money for them? I'll stick with Spotify.

It's the same price as Spotify Premium though? It's actually less if you buy a Spotify subscription on iOS.

I suppose you could argue that students do get it cheaper, but I'm sure Apple will add a student discount eventually.

Cas

Quote:

Originally posted by ianBK4

Apple Music (as any other Apple product) is overpriced. Why I would pay extra money for them? I'll stick with Spotify.

I have to disagree with you on this one. AM is not overpriced, The paid tiers cost the same. I don't want Apple to have a monopoly here so go Spotify!

Rainsford

Quote:

Originally posted by hooky

It's the same price as Spotify Premium though? It's actually less if you buy a Spotify subscription on iOS.

I suppose you could argue that students do get it cheaper, but I'm sure Apple will add a student discount eventually.

Not where I live.

Brodie

Quote:

Originally posted by ianBK4

Not where I live.

So it is more expensive because your country has a weaker currency? How is that anyone's fault

Hunter_13

I'm signing up this Sunday!

My birthday + 1989 World Tour!

Rainsford

Quote:

Originally posted by Brodie

So it is more expensive because your country has a weaker currency? How is that anyone's fault

Spotify costs US$4 while AM costs US$6

ManDown

If Apple Music had scrobbling, I believe they could steal a lot more fans from Spotify - myself included. Though, I do use both.

manwhore

IM really loving streaming.. i love the 3 month free promo. I never thought id get into streaming but i can see why people would get hooked, the convienence! LOVE it.. anywho i still will try spotify after my initial 3 month free is over.