iTunes and the iPod brought a significant transformation in the music industry in the early 2000s, as the hardware and software duo promoted singles over albums and enabled users to keep numerous songs on a single device.
That now seems outlandish, but for over 10 years, it was the way many people listened to music. Apple was ahead of other music players with the iPod, and it got even further ahead when the iPhone came out.
Apple didn’t see music streaming as the future of digital music, and CEO Steve Jobs was strongly against it. Because of this, a small Swedish company was able to grow without much serious competition for five years.
Spotify had already gathered 22 million subscribers over the time Apple Music Introduced. It also comprises 68 million users on freemium accounts. YouTube has also dominated the market on music videos, another market in which Apple failed.
When Apple bought Beats Electronics for $3 billion, it showed they were serious about music streaming. They shut down Beats Music and started Apple Music in June 2015, getting a lot of artist support. Apple also introduced several radio stations with well-known artists and DJs, like former BBC host Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden.
Apple Music quickly gained 11 million subscribers in its first year, despite some criticism of its user interface. A year later, it got a major redesign that fixed many of these issues.
Since then, Apple Music has grown and become a real rival to Spotify, especially in the US where it is the biggest music streaming service. However, in Europe and South America, Spotify still leads, and Apple might find it hard to catch up due to problems with its Android app.
We’ve gathered data and statistics about Apple Music and the latest information on how much is apple music. Keep reading to learn more.
Apple Music Overview
| Detail | Information |
| Release Date | 30 June 2015 |
| Headquarters | Cupertino, California |
| Key Personnel | Oliver Schusser (Apple Music Lead), Brian Bumbery (Publicity Director), Trent Reznor (Creative Officer) |
| Business Model | Subsidiary |
| Parent Company | Apple |
| Sector | Music Streaming |
How Much Is Apple Music?
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How Much Is Apple Music?
As of July 2024, Apple Music has three subscription options:
- Student Plan: $5.99 per month
- Individual Plan: $10.99 per month
- Family Plan: $16.99 per month
All plans let you listen on any device, create playlists, and download songs. The Individual Plan also includes Apple Music Sing for real-time lyrics and lets you see what your friends are listening to.
New Apple Music users can get six months free if they have an eligible audio device. To start the free trial, just pair your device with your iPhone or iPad and open the Apple Music app.
Apple Music Annual Revenue (2015 to 2023)
| Year | Revenue ($ billion) |
| 2016 | 1.7 |
| 2017 | 2.3 |
| 2018 | 3.5 |
| 2019 | 4.4 |
| 2020 | 6.3 |
| 2021 | 7.0 |
| 2022 | 8.3 |
| 2023 | 9.2 |
Apple Services Annual Revenue (2013 to 2023)
| Year | Revenue ($ billion) |
| 2013 | 15.8 |
| 2014 | 17.8 |
| 2015 | 19.6 |
| 2016 | 24.1 |
| 2017 | 29.8 |
| 2018 | 36.9 |
| 2019 | 46.1 |
| 2020 | 53.6 |
| 2021 | 68.4 |
| 2022 | 78.0 |
| 2023 | 85.1 |
Apple Music Annual Users (2015 to 2023)
| Year | Users (million) |
| 2015 | 11 |
| 2016 | 20 |
| 2017 | 27 |
| 2018 | 40 |
| 2019 | 50 |
| 2020 | 72 |
| 2021 | 80 |
| 2022 | 88 |
| 2023 | 93 |
Music Streaming Average Pay Per Stream
| Music Streaming Service | Pay Per Stream ($) |
| Apple Music | 0.0076 |
| Spotify | 0.0026 – 0.0049 |
| YouTube | 0.00067 |
Additional Information:
Apple Music made up 6.4% of Apple’s total Services revenue in 2023.
Apple Music pays more per stream compared to Spotify and YouTube.
Apple Music vs Other Music Platforms: Users
| Year | Users (in millions) |
| 2016 | Spotify: 40, Apple Music: 20, Tencent Music: 10, YouTube Music: 0, Amazon Music: 0, NetEase Music: 0 |
| 2017 | Spotify: 60, Apple Music: 30, Tencent Music: 20, YouTube Music: 0, Amazon Music: 10, NetEase Music: 10 |
| 2018 | Spotify: 80, Apple Music: 40, Tencent Music: 30, YouTube Music: 10, Amazon Music: 20, NetEase Music: 20 |
| 2019 | Spotify: 100, Apple Music: 50, Tencent Music: 40, YouTube Music: 30, Amazon Music: 30, NetEase Music: 30 |
| 2020 | Spotify: 120, Apple Music: 60, Tencent Music: 50, YouTube Music: 40, Amazon Music: 40, NetEase Music: 40 |
| 2021 | Spotify: 140, Apple Music: 70, Tencent Music: 60, YouTube Music: 50, Amazon Music: 50, NetEase Music: 50 |
| 2022 | Spotify: 180, Apple Music: 80, Tencent Music: 70, YouTube Music: 60, Amazon Music: 60, NetEase Music: 60 |
| 2023 | Spotify: 220, Apple Music: 100, Tencent Music: 80, YouTube Music: 70, Amazon Music: 70, NetEase Music: 70 |
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