Apple has revealed that it now has 15 million Apple Music users.
Of those 15 million subscribers, only 6.5 million are paid-up members. The 8.5 million majority are still making use of Apple’s three month free trial offer.
The figures were revealed by Apple CEO Tim Cook during the WSJD Live event recently. He claimed to be pleased with how well Apple Music was performing, and pointed to the service’s human curation element as a key feature that was pulling customers in.
Apple Music’s numbers pale somewhat when compared to Spotify’s, which at the last count claimed to have 75 million active users, 20 million of which are paid subscribers. Of course, Spotify has been around since 2008, while Apple Music only launched in June.
That fact also means that October is the first full month since Apple Music’s launch in which people have begun having to pay for it. The figures also show that Apple Music has attracted 4 million new free trialists since August.
Related: Why I won’t be sticking with Apple Music
All of which means that we won’t have a true impression of how well Apple Music is doing for a little while yet.
Apple Music launched on June 30, and has received a somewhat mixed response from critics. While elements like the free Beats 1 radio station and curated playlists have attracted praise, the service’s complex interface and somewhat glitchy nature have been criticised.
Next, take a look at our iOS 9 features video:
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
