Apple Music grows to 50 million subscribers, Apple News up to 85M monthly users during hol...
During Apple's quarterly conference call, the iPhone maker reported its highest quarterly music revenue ever thanks largely to Apple Music, while its overall services business grew leaps and bounds.

Apple Music
Apple's streaming service hit a record 50 million subscribers during the December quarter, CEO Tim Cook said in an earnings conference call Tuesday. This helped buoy Apple's services category -- of which music is part of -- to its own record high of $10.9 billion.
The last reported number from Apple regarding Apple Music was 50 million users combined across trial and paid tiers, whereas today's number includes only paid subscribers. This most recent update still has Apple behind the industry-leading Spotify, which reported 87 million paying users back in November of 2018.
Recently, Apple updated the Apple Music app for Android to version 2.7 which finally brought long-awaited tablet support.
Verizon also partnered with Apple to start bundling Apple Music with top-tier unlimited plans earlier in 2019.
Alongside Apple Music growth, Apple News is tracking at 85 million monthly active users, according to Cook. Apple Pay also experienced huge gains with 1.8 billion transactions over the course of 2018, up 100 percent from 2017.
For the quarter, Apple reported all-time high revenues of $10.9 billion, a figure that grew 19 percent from the previous fiscal quarter one in 2018.

Apple Music
Apple's streaming service hit a record 50 million subscribers during the December quarter, CEO Tim Cook said in an earnings conference call Tuesday. This helped buoy Apple's services category -- of which music is part of -- to its own record high of $10.9 billion.
The last reported number from Apple regarding Apple Music was 50 million users combined across trial and paid tiers, whereas today's number includes only paid subscribers. This most recent update still has Apple behind the industry-leading Spotify, which reported 87 million paying users back in November of 2018.
Recently, Apple updated the Apple Music app for Android to version 2.7 which finally brought long-awaited tablet support.
Verizon also partnered with Apple to start bundling Apple Music with top-tier unlimited plans earlier in 2019.
Alongside Apple Music growth, Apple News is tracking at 85 million monthly active users, according to Cook. Apple Pay also experienced huge gains with 1.8 billion transactions over the course of 2018, up 100 percent from 2017.
For the quarter, Apple reported all-time high revenues of $10.9 billion, a figure that grew 19 percent from the previous fiscal quarter one in 2018.
Comments
Given years and endless promotion, they have not been able to convert even 10% of the iTunes accounts to this rental service.
"Nearly 16 years after launching the iTunes Store, Apple generated its highest quarterly music revenue ever, thanks to the popularity of Apple Music, now with over 50 million paid subscribers."
I had hoped Apple Music (and/or iTunes Match) would help solve our family music-library sharing problem (which worked before Apple pulled that functionality from iTunes), but it just doesn't work. We're not using it enough to justify the cost.
However, that still leaves me with trying to solve the family music-sharing thing that we had working many years ago. Any suggestions? I'm thinking giving Plex a shot. Maybe it could also help solve the photo sharing too.
But to say Apple Music is a flop when some still buy from iTunes is ridiculous. Those who don't subscribe to Apple Music are buying from iTunes so essentially Apple is double dipping. #Win.
Also how much % of iTunes accounts do people expect to subscribe to Apple Music after 3 years?
10% iTunes accounts would be 80 million correct?
That's approaching the Amazon Prime ballpark. I believe Apple can achieve this but not today.
In other words 50 million is nothing to sneeze at. Quite the accomplishment.