Nearly Half of Apple Music Users in U.S. No Longer Using Free Trial

A new study by consumer research firm MusicWatch finds that 77% of iOS users in the United States are aware of Apple Music, with 11% currently using the streaming music service. Additionally, among those that signed up for Apple Music's three-month trial, 48% said they are no longer using the service and 61% reported they have turned off the auto-renewal subscription option in iTunes.

AppleMusicForYou
Apple Music has attracted more users from Spotify Premium than ad-supported services such as Spotify Free and Pandora:

More than one quarter (28 percent) of Spotify Premium customers also use Apple Music, but the draw from popular ad-supported services is more modest: Just 11 percent of Spotify Free users, and 6 percent of Pandora users, now use Apple’s offering.

“In terms of benchmarking Apple Music, 40 percent of iOS users are buying digital downloads from iTunes, suggesting trial of Apple Music could be higher,” said Russ Crupnick, managing partner of MusicWatch. “That’s the disadvantage of not being the first mover in a market where very good services currently exist.”

While nearly half of iOS users that have tried Apple Music are no longer using the service, with some maintaining their loyalty to Spotify, Pandora and other rivals, the study finds that 64% of current users said they were "extremely" or "very likely" to pay for an Apple Music subscription following the free trial period, which concludes on September 30 for those that signed up on launch day.

The research study also claims that 30% of Apple Music users listen to Beats 1, while 27% use Apple Music Connect. MusicWatch's data is based on an August 2015 survey of 5,000 U.S. consumers age 13 and older, and the results were weighted to the U.S. population. The research firm has been cited by publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Fortune.

Update: In a statement to The Verge regarding this survey, Apple said 79 percent of people who signed up for the Apple Music free trial are still using Apple Music.

Top Rated Comments

pwhitehead Avatar
113 months ago
They should seriously consider student discount option.
We gotta get permission from Taylor Swift first, lol...
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
smithrh Avatar
113 months ago
Have stopped using it for the most part, and also actively researched how to turn off auto renewal, which I did a couple of weeks ago.

It's simply too much of a mess right now to deal with.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sniffies Avatar
113 months ago
They should seriously consider student discount option.

Spotify offers 50% off.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
flur Avatar
113 months ago
They need to fix all the broken crap that borks users libraries and mismatches music and artwork. It's pretty sad that 60% of the people who tried don't want to renew. I am in that camp, because AM trainwrecked my music files.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Albright Avatar
113 months ago
Count me in the "still using it and haven't turned off autorenewal" camp. I like what Apple Music is offering me; though, to be fair, I never really used Spotify or other services, so maybe I don't know what I'm missing from them. Still, I've found Apple Music a great service for not only listening to my own music but finding new and interesting stuff that I probably would have ignored in the album-buying days.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vmachiel Avatar
113 months ago
They should seriously consider student discount option.
What? 10 bucks a month is not that much for free choice music streaming. I think they are suffering more from the bugs and UI than anything else.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Delta Feature

Delta Game Emulator Now Available From App Store on iPhone

Wednesday April 17, 2024 9:58 am PDT by
Game emulator apps have come and gone since Apple announced App Store support for them on April 5, but now popular game emulator Delta from developer Riley Testut is available for download. Testut is known as the developer behind GBA4iOS, an open-source emulator that was available for a brief time more than a decade ago. GBA4iOS led to Delta, an emulator that has been available outside of...
iOS NES Emulator Bimmy Feature

NES Emulator for iPhone and iPad Now Available on App Store [Removed]

Tuesday April 16, 2024 11:33 am PDT by
The first approved Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) emulator for the iPhone and iPad was made available on the App Store today following Apple's rule change. The emulator is called Bimmy, and it was developed by Tom Salvo. On the App Store, Bimmy is described as a tool for testing and playing public domain/"homebrew" games created for the NES, but the app allows you to load ROMs for any...
iPhone 15 Pro Action Button Translate

All iPhone 16 Models to Feature Action Button, But Usefulness Debated

Tuesday April 16, 2024 6:54 am PDT by
Last September, Apple's iPhone 15 Pro models debuted with a new customizable Action button, offering faster access to a handful of functions, as well as the ability to assign Shortcuts. Apple is poised to include the feature on all upcoming iPhone 16 models, so we asked iPhone 15 Pro users what their experience has been with the additional button so far. The Action button replaces the switch ...
maxresdefault

Hands-On With the New App Store Delta Game Emulator

Wednesday April 17, 2024 12:19 pm PDT by
A decade ago, developer Riley Testut released the GBA4iOS emulator for iOS, and since it was against the rules at the time, Apple put a stop to downloads. Emulators have been a violation of the App Store rules for years, but that changed on April 5 when Apple suddenly reversed course and said that it was allowing retro game emulators on the App Store. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel ...
iOS 18 Siri Integrated Feature

iOS 18 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Friday April 12, 2024 11:11 am PDT by
iOS 18 is expected to be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. iOS 18 is rumored to include new generative AI features for Siri and many apps, and Apple plans to add RCS support to the Messages app for an improved texting experience between iPhones and Android devices. The update is also expected to introduce a more...