Apple Music reaches 30 million subscribers, believes music streaming is more than just adding subscribers

(Image source: Apple)

Apple Music now has 30 million subscribers, Apple Music executive Jimmy Iovine revealed in an interview with Billboard.

At WWDC in June, Apple stated that its music streaming service had 27 million subscribers. This means Apple Music added 3 million subscribers over the past three months.

While Iovine was enthusiastic about Apple Music's growth, he also stated that it is not just about adding lots of subscribers and back catalogs of music. He said:

"I just don’t think streaming is enough as it is. I don’t agree that all things are going to be OK [just] because Apple came into streaming and the numbers went up. Look at the catalog: It’s a matter of time before the ’60s become the ’50s and the ’50s become the ’40s. The people that are listening to the ’60s will die -- I’m one of them. Life goes on. So you have to help the artists create new stuff that they would never be able to do on their own."

Main rivals Spotify, on the other hand, announced in July that it has around 60 million paid subscribers and over 140 million users in total.

Spotify offers a free tier with advertisements, which is something that Apple Music lacks.

Apple offers users a free 3-month trial, after which users can opt for an individual plan at S$9.98 a month or a family plan for up to six people for S$14.98 a month. Students can enjoy a special rate of S$4.98 a month.

Source: Billboard