Eddy Cue: Apple Music reaches 38 million subscribers
Apple Music now has 38 million subscribers, up from 36 million in February, Eddy Cue, Apple SVP of internet software and services announced at the South by Southwest Conference on Monday.
Cue also said Apple Music, a service where users can select music on demand, has 8 million users on three month free trials -- the first time Apple has disclosed trial figures.
To compare, Apple Music's main competitor Spotify has 71 million paying subscribers and 159 million active users monthly, Spotify revealed in February. Both Apple and Spotify charge $9.99 a month for their unlimited streaming services. However, Spotify offers a free ad-supported edition.
While it doesn't yet hold a lead, Apple Music is gaining subscribers faster than Spotify in the US, the Wall Street Journal recently reported:
Apple Inc.'s Apple Music is adding subscriber accounts in the U.S. at a higher rate than Spotify, and is on track to pass the No. 1 streaming service this summer, according to people in the record business familiar with figures reported by the two services.
According to CNET, Cue told attendees at SXSW there could be up to 2 billion potential subscribers who can access and pay for streaming music. The executive also discussed Apple's acquisition of Texture, a digital magazine distributor, that was announced on Tuesday.