Apple Music grows to 50 million subscribers, Apple News up to 85M monthly users during hol...

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited December 2019
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 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

  • Reply 1 of 10
    mwhitemwhite Posts: 287member
    I'm sure this includes Verizon's free 6 month free trail which for me, my ex and daughter will be gone the first of next month.
  • Reply 2 of 10
    Andrew_OSUAndrew_OSU Posts: 573member, editor
    mwhite said:
    I'm sure this includes Verizon's free 6 month free trail which for me, my ex and daughter will be gone the first of next month.
    Paid subscribers, not free trials. This number seems probable after their last number update.
    lolliverlostkiwiAppleExposedwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 10
    davgregdavgreg Posts: 1,037member
    By any reasonable standard, Apple Music is a flop.

    Given years and endless promotion, they have not been able to convert even 10% of the iTunes accounts to this rental service.

    patchythepirate
  • Reply 4 of 10
    jimh2jimh2 Posts: 617member
    davgreg said:
    By any reasonable standard, Apple Music is a flop.

    Given years and endless promotion, they have not been able to convert even 10% of the iTunes accounts to this rental service.

    What is your measuring system? 50 million people paying for anything is a success by any measure. Pandora had 6 million and Spotify had 75 million paid users as of last May. I know Apple had less than 50 million users last May, but coming from 0 a few years ago is significant. I expect to see Spotify overtaken within 12 months. Both Pandora and Spotify are basing significant head winds...they don't make enough to cover their costs.
    genovellelolliverlostkiwiAppleExposedwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 10
    radarthekatradarthekat Posts: 3,842moderator
    davgreg said:
    By any reasonable standard, Apple Music is a flop.

    Given years and endless promotion, they have not been able to convert even 10% of the iTunes accounts to this rental service.

    Interesting take on the situation.  I had/have an iTunes account.  Back in the day I’d buy a few tracks here and there, maybe 30/year.  That’s about $30-40 in annual revenue from me.  Now I subscribe to Apple Music because for $120/year I have a virtual music collection of millions of tracks, and many more downloaded to my devices for offline listening than the size of my previous iTunes library.  I’m sure Apple is doing just fine raking in $4 billion a year and growing on Apple Music subs. 
    edited January 2019 christopher126genovellelolliverlostkiwiwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 10
    genovellegenovelle Posts: 1,480member
    davgreg said:
    By any reasonable standard, Apple Music is a flop.

    Given years and endless promotion, they have not been able to convert even 10% of the iTunes accounts to this rental service.

    Sounds like the same people who called the iPhone the IPhone a failure when it first came out. Now the control 90% of the profits. Success is not a sprint.  
    lolliverlostkiwiAppleExposedwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 10
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,417member
    @davgreg said:

    By any reasonable standard, Apple Music is a flop.
    Given years and endless promotion, they have not been able to convert even 10% of the iTunes accounts to this rental service.
    By any reasonable standard, your post is a flop (as usual):

    "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."
    rulebreakerlolliverpatchythepirateAppleExposedwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 10
    cgWerkscgWerks Posts: 2,952member
    radarthekat said:
    Interesting take on the situation.  I had/have an iTunes account.  Back in the day I’d buy a few tracks here and there, maybe 30/year.  That’s about $30-40 in annual revenue from me.  Now I subscribe to Apple Music because for $120/year I have a virtual music collection of millions of tracks, and many more downloaded to my devices for offline listening than the size of my previous iTunes library.  I’m sure Apple is doing just fine raking in $4 billion a year and growing on Apple Music subs. 
    We're about to go the opposite direction. Why spend $120/year when it would probably cost only $30-40 or less just buying a few tracks we want?

    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.
  • Reply 9 of 10
    lostkiwilostkiwi Posts: 639member
    radarthekat said:
    davgreg said:
    By any reasonable standard, Apple Music is a flop.

    Given years and endless promotion, they have not been able to convert even 10% of the iTunes accounts to this rental service.

    Interesting take on the situation.  I had/have an iTunes account.  Back in the day I’d buy a few tracks here and there, maybe 30/year.  That’s about $30-40 in annual revenue from me.  Now I subscribe to Apple Music because for $120/year I have a virtual music collection of millions of tracks, and many more downloaded to my devices for offline listening than the size of my previous iTunes library.  I’m sure Apple is doing just fine raking in $4 billion a year and growing on Apple Music subs. 
    Exactly my situation.  I love Apple Music.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 10
    AppleExposedAppleExposed Posts: 1,805unconfirmed, member
    jimh2 said:
    davgreg said:
    By any reasonable standard, Apple Music is a flop.

    Given years and endless promotion, they have not been able to convert even 10% of the iTunes accounts to this rental service.

    What is your measuring system? 50 million people paying for anything is a success by any measure. Pandora had 6 million and Spotify had 75 million paid users as of last May. I know Apple had less than 50 million users last May, but coming from 0 a few years ago is significant. I expect to see Spotify overtaken within 12 months. Both Pandora and Spotify are basing significant head winds...they don't make enough to cover their costs.
    I THINK he was being sarcastic? Hard to tell with all the anti-Apple double standards.

    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.
Sign In or Register to comment.