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Apple’s new streaming service, Apple Music, has reached 6.5 million paying subscribers, chief executive Tim Cook has revealed – with 8.5 million more using the three-month free trial.
These are the first real user numbers we’ve heard since the app passed three months of operation – and those who signed up on launch day had to choose whether to stay with the service.
The 15 million total users is an impressive number for a service that is still in its infancy – Apple Music only launched at the end of June, and the figures are likely to draw the attention of other streaming services, including market leader Spotify.
Though the Scandinavian service launched back in 2006, it took around five years to hit 10 million paying customers, but has doubled that to 20 million in the last year.
But this major growth from a newcomer to the sector is bound to turn heads at Spotify HQ, and the firm has already been rolling out a steady stream of updates this year as it looks to solidify its position.
Apple Music debuted with a catalogue of millions of songs, as well as radio station Beats 1, curated playlists from musicians and a social feature called Connect that enables fans and musicians to interact with one another.
Speaking at the WSJD Live conference in California, Cook said: “I think it’s fabulous, and to have over 15 million on there, and 6.5 million in the paid category, I’m really happy about it. And I think the runway here is really good.”
