Pandora, Spotify, and Apple Climb App Revenue Charts as Customers Sign Up Via In-App Subscriptions

In a first for streaming music, Pandora, Spotify and Apple's Beats Music are among the leaders in App Store revenue as customers increasingly subscribe to the services using in-app purchases. According to data provided by App Annie and published by Billboard, the music services were among the top ten revenue generators for all non-game applications in the iOS App Store during the month of August.

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Internet radio service Pandora lead the trio, maintaining its number 2 spot in iOS App Store revenue. Spotify climbed seven spots from number 14 in July to number 7 in August, while Apple's Beats Music moved up two spots to slide into the top ten at the number 9 slot.

All three services offer free apps that allow customers to purchase a subscription using an in-app subscription option. Pandora offers access to its paid Pandora One plan ($4.99 monthly), while Spotify allows users to pay $12.99 a month for its ad-free, offline premium subscription. Beats Music provides two options, allowing users to choose between $9.99 monthly access or a yearly subscription for $99.

Apple introduced in-app subscriptions a few years ago to iOS 6. As part of the App Store payment process, the company takes a 30 percent share of all in-app subscription revenue.

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Top Rated Comments

149 months ago
It looks like paying with your fingerprint is a lot more impulsive than having to type in one's credit card information. :D #applepay

Hashtags don't work on the forum.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
luckydcxx Avatar
149 months ago
Everyone please try Beats music. It has a 2 week free trial, it is amazing!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
phillipduran Avatar
149 months ago
Everyone please try Beats music. It has a 2 week free trial, it is amazing!

Hi Tim!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Santabean2000 Avatar
149 months ago
Love Spotify. Has changed my habits forever.

[I'm sure other services are great too]

Just hope the artists can continue to afford to make great music.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
T-Will Avatar
149 months ago
Everyone please try Beats music. It has a 2 week free trial, it is amazing!

Tim Cook? Dr. Dre? Is that you? :p
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
deannnnn Avatar
149 months ago
Why would anyone do that when you can sign up through Spotify and pay $9.99 a month for a premium subscription? (Which I don't remember how I used to live without, for the record.)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)