【1993 Archives】

Apple Music has reportedly surpassed Spotify in total number of U.S. subscribers.

According to an anonymous "major distributor" speaking to Digital Music News993 Archives Apple's streaming service has surpassed Spotify’s total number of U.S. subscribers. Both services are hovering around 20 million paid users in the U.S., but Apple Music has recently pulled ahead by a small margin, according to the industry source.

The source shared a report with Digital Music News detailing the total number of U.S. subscribers across several streaming music services including Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, and Sirius XM. The story claims that Apple Music now ranks first in the U.S. among on-demand streaming services.

Back in February, The Wall Street Journalreported that Apple Music was projected to overtake Spotify if it kept a growth rate of 5 percent. It appears that Apple has managed to stay on track and that the current formula for the service is working.

On Apple Music, customers are typically using the free three-month trial or paid subscription. Apple offers a personal plan at $9.99, a family at $14.99, and verified students can get the service for $4.99 a month. Spotify, on the other hand, offers a free plan, in addition to several paid tiers made up by personal, family, and student plans.

On a global scale, Apple is behind with only 45 million paid subscribers versus Spotify’s 70 million. However, in the U.S. it seems that even though Spotify offers more discounts and plan tiers, Apple’s strategy is paying off. It also not just with subscribers; just last week Apple set a new single-day streaming record with 170 million plays of Drake’s new album Scorpion. This bested Spotify’s rumored 130 million streams in the first 24 hours of the album.

While this report is saying that Apple Music is currently only a little bit ahead, this growth rate appears to be consistent, and the lead could widen; so, for now, let’s call it a comeback.