Apple Music has come a long way since its launch in 2015, which followed years of Apple resisting the move towards music streaming.
Back in the early 2000s, iTunes and the iPod had revolutionized the way people listened to music, popularizing singles over albums and allowing users to store thousands of songs on a single device.
However, Apple failed to foresee the rise of music streaming, which left them playing catch-up to Spotify, a small Swedish developer that grew to become a major player in the industry.
Apple’s acquisition of Beats Electronics for $3 billion was a turning point, leading to the launch of Apple Music in June 2015.
Although the app received some criticism initially, it quickly gained momentum and hit 11 million subscribers within the first year.
Since then, Apple Music has grown steadily and is now a genuine competitor to Spotify, particularly in the US where it is the largest music streaming service.
However, it still lags behind Spotify in Europe and South America, where the latter remains the dominant player.
Despite its progress, Apple Music’s poorly optimized Android app may hold it back from ever reaching Spotify’s numbers.
In this article, we have compiled Apple Music statistics and data to help you understand its current position and potential for future growth.
Quick Statistics:
- Apple Music is the second most-used music streaming service with a 15% market share, lagging behind Spotify with 31%. (Midia Research)
- As of June 2019, Apple Music had around 60 million subscribers, Spotify had 155 million subscribers, and Amazon Music had 55 million subscribers. (The Wall Street Journal)
- As of June 2021, Apple Music had 78 million users, and it has been growing every year since October 2015. (Statista)
- Apple Music earned $4.1 billion in revenue in 2020, compared to $0.6 billion in 2016. (Business of Apps)
- Apple Music pays one penny per stream, which is more than Spotify’s payment rate of one-third to one-half of a penny. (The Wall Street Journal)
- In 2020, Apple bundled Apple Music with other Apple services such as Apple TV Plus and Apple Arcade into a collection called Apple One with three plans: Individual, Family, and Premier. (Unknown)
Apple Music Statistics Table
| Statistics | Value |
|---|---|
| Apple Music Revenue (2022) | $8.3 billion |
| Apple Music Subscribers (June 2022) | 88 million |
| Average Pay per Stream (Apple Music) | $0.0076 |
| Apple Music Subscribers (US) | More than Spotify |
| Apple Music Subscribers (Europe and South America) | Less than Spotify |
| Apple Music Revenue (2016) | $1.7 billion |
| Apple Music Revenue (2017) | $2.3 billion |
| Apple Music Revenue (2018) | $3.5 billion |
| Apple Music Revenue (2019) | $4.4 billion |
| Apple Music Revenue (2020) | $6.3 billion |
| Apple Music Revenue (2021) | $7 billion |
| Apple Music Annual Users (2015) | 11 million |
| Apple Music Annual Users (2016) | 20 million |
| Apple Music Annual Users (2017) | 27 million |
| Apple Music Annual Users (2018) | 40 million |
| Apple Music Annual Users (2019) | 50 million |
| Apple Music Annual Users (2020) | 72 million (estimated) |
| Apple Music Annual Users (2021) | 80 million (estimated) |
| Apple Music Annual Users (2022) | 88 million |
| Apple Music Library Size (Feb 2021) | Over 70 million songs |
| Number of countries where Apple Music is available | 167 |
| Platforms that support Apple Music | macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS, CarPlay, HomePod, Windows, Android, Chrome OS, Amazon Echo, Sonos, and web |
| Apple Music’s contribution to Apple Services revenue | 6.4% (2022) |
Apple Music Statistics – Final Thoughts
To conclude, the latest Apple Music statistics reveal its impressive growth and reach in the music streaming market.
The platform’s exclusive features, including radio stations and artist collaborations, have helped it secure a loyal user base.
While Apple Music pays slightly more per stream than other platforms, it’s still important for artists to distribute their music across various streaming services to reach a wider audience.
With Apple Music’s ongoing success and innovation, it’s worth considering as part of any music distribution strategy.
