Apple Targeting 100 Million Subscribers for Streaming Music Service

Apple has an ambitious goal to sign up 100 million subscribers for its upcoming streaming music service known as Apple Music, according to The Associated Press. A subscriber base that large would trump competing services such as Spotify, Pandora, Deezer and others, which had a collective 41 million paid U.S. subscribers in 2014 per the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.

beats-music-app-ios
Apple Music is widely expected to be a rebranded and improved version of Beats Music, which the Cupertino-based company acquired for $3 billion last year alongside the Beats Electronics headphones and speakers division. The much-rumored streaming service will reportedly cost $10 per month, with a three-month free trial period, and focus on exclusive content and human curated playlists.

Beats Music had 303,000 U.S. subscribers as of December, trailing market leader Spotify's 4.7 million U.S. subscribers by a significant margin. Nevertheless, Apple previously said it has over 800 million users with iTunes accounts to its advantage and will reportedly present those users with the option to purchase an Apple Music subscription instead when downloading songs and albums through the iTunes Store.

Apple is expected to unveil its new streaming music service at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference today in San Francisco. During the opening keynote at 10 AM Pacific, CEO Tim Cook and other executives should reveal several details about the service alongside other announcements about iOS 9, OS X 10.11, Apple Pay and more. MacRumors will be providing live coverage of the event as it unfolds.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
iphone 17 pro render majin bu

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by
New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...

Top Rated Comments

KindredMAC Avatar
132 months ago
Who else has the same sinking feeling as I do that once the WWDC keynote is over everyone is going to sit there blinking like, "seriously? that's it?"
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OllyW Avatar
132 months ago
Much like the Maps app, it will be Apple's cut at streaming radio, so it will be the best and all of the rest will become "abominations" that "99% don't want". While they were fine- even loved- before Apple decided it wanted to step into the space, now we have to hate them, while rallying around the only one that "got it right". You've been here long enough. You know how things work.
I'm not even convinced by the competition, I'm yet to be persuaded that renting music makes any sense. :D
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
k1121j Avatar
132 months ago
count me out ....perhaps if its free with adds but not 10 bucks a month i have so many options to listen for free ill buy the songs if like em
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bushido Avatar
132 months ago
100 mio but US only? how is that gonna work

Why does it have to be better? It doesn't. Apple Music simply has to be 'good enough' to compete.

I bet within a month, more people will know what Apple Music is vs. Spotify or Rdio. Most people don't know what those are now. The only one that has made a name for itself, that most people know is Pandora.

(Most people still use real radios to 'stream' music - I bet Apple will change this with marketing)
no one knows Spotify??? in what universe
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OllyW Avatar
132 months ago
I fully expect Apple to deliver on these ambitious numbers. I've been saying for some time I'm expecting the likes of Spotify and Rdio to become also-rans in a relatively short space of time. They cannot compete with Apple.
What do you think it will do that is so much better than the competition?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OllyW Avatar
132 months ago
100 Million times $10/month = $1 Billion per month. 3 months at $1 Billion/month = $3 Billion.

If this is going to be embedded in iOS 9, it seems very likely Apple will become King of the streaming space within hours after launch. This is just the Microsoft IE browser (vs. established Netscape) thing again.

And, since there is a 90-day free trial, Apple should be able to tout gigantic numbers of users pretty quickly. The key question will be monetizing free trials to stick around and start paying. The referenced rumor of 800 million iTunes accounts means about 1/8th of all iTunes users will need to not only partake in the free trial but convert to paying subscribers AND/OR that this will significantly draw more people into the iTunes total number of accounts pool.
It will need to be available worldwide immediately to take advantage of those 800 million iTunes accounts. Restricting the launch to just a single country will not be enough to gain that many users.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)