Apple Music now has more paid subscribers in the United States than Spotify, according to a new report by Reuters. A “person familiar with the matter” told Reuters that Apple now has 28 million paid subscribers, while Spotify has 26 million. Spotify’s free tier still holds more overall users than Apple Music in the U.S.
Apple Music has been steadily growing over the past few years, and giving Spotify more competition along the way.
Apple Inc.’s streaming-music service has been adding subscribers in the world’s biggest music market more rapidly than its Swedish rival—a monthly growth rate of about 2.6% to 3%, compared with 1.5% to 2% for Spotify—the people said.
When looking at Spotify’s non-paid accounts, the service does still have more US users than Apple Music. However, those Spotify accounts don’t generate much revenue for the company. Apple Music appears to be profitable and sustainable, while Spotify’s average revenue per user is declining as the service grows.
On a separate note, Apple recently had a special event take place on March 25 in the Steve Jobs Theatre at Apple Headquarters in Cupertino, California. The event was held in order to announce their new video streaming device that could become a rival to Netflix. According to The Independent, the event invitation included the words “it’s showtime,” which many took to refer to their new streaming platform.
At the “special event” there was an announcement about Apple TV+. This new service will include original content known as “Stories” where Hollywood moguls and media teams create original content focused on Apple’s ideas of integration, creativity, and humanity, bringing the world together on an even bigger level.