Apple Music now has 15 million users, CEO Tim Cook reveals
Apple's new streaming service is still a long way behind Spotify, its main competitor
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Apple's new streaming service Apple Music now has over 15 million users, 6.5 million of whom are paying.
Speaking at the Wall Street Journal's WSJD Live conference in California, CEO Tim Cook said that 6.5 million of Apple Music users are paying the £9.99 a month for a subscription, while 8.5 million are using their three-month free trial.
It's an impressive rate of growth for the service, which only launched in June, but it's still a long way behind Spotify, which announced in the same month that it has over 20 million paying customers worldwide.
As The Verge notes, however, the three-month free trial offer means that Apple only started collecting payments this month - some people may have forgotten to cancel the free trial and were charged for October, which could skew the figures a little.
Making the switch from Spotify to Apple Music has been a big ask for some, as it means leaving all your old playlists and listening history behind on Spotify.
However, clearly people have taken it up, and Tim Cook seems pleased with how it's worked, telling Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Gerard Baker, "its' going really well," adding "people love the human curation" aspect of the service.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments