With Apple Music at 20M Users, Spotify Hits 50M Paying Subscriber Milestone

Spotify this afternoon announced that it has hit a new milestone, reaching a total of 50 million paying subscribers. That's up from 40 million in September, suggesting Spotify is growing at a rapid pace despite the surging popularity of Apple Music.

As of December, Apple Music had over 20 million paying subscribers, and if the service has been growing at its typical pace, that number could now be somewhere around 22 million. Apple Music had 15 million subscribers in June of 2016 and 17 million subscribers in September of 2016.

spotify50million


Spotify is Apple Music's staunchest rival and over the course of the last year, the two music services have clashed several times due to Apple Music's tactic using exclusives to lure new customers. Spotify in August made headlines when it allegedly started punishing artists who agreed to Apple Music exclusives, displaying their content less prominently and offering fewer promotional opportunities.

Spotify denied the claims, but the relationship between the two has grown increasingly heated as Apple Music's popularity grows. Both services are now testing new features and subscription models to attract new users.

Going forward, Apple plans to use original television programming to entice subscribers, debuting shows like Carpool Karaoke on Apple Music. Spotify, meanwhile, has recently started testing a lossless version of its streaming service to attract audiophiles.

Popular Stories

Mayday Calendar

Apple Acquisition Hints at Upgraded Calendar App on iOS 19 or Beyond

Friday May 9, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple acquired Canadian startup Mayday Labs in April 2024, according to a European Commission listing, spotted by French blog MacGeneration. The acquisition had not received widespread attention from tech publications until now. Apple is legally required to report certain acquisitions to the European Commission, under the terms of the EU's Digital Markets Act. Mayday Labs founder Jeremy...
Nineth iOS 19 Feature

iOS 19 Beta is a Month Away With These New Features for Your iPhone

Thursday May 8, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is just one month away, and there are already many new features and changes that are expected with it. Apple should seed the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key iOS 19 rumors...
fortnite apple featured

Epic Games Submits Fortnite to U.S. App Store

Friday May 9, 2025 9:57 am PDT by
As promised, Epic Games today submitted Fortnite to the U.S. App Store, and if approved by Apple, it will mark the first time that the Fortnite app has been available in the United States since 2020. Fortnite will include options to purchase in-app currency from the web rather than through in-app purchase, which is what got the game banned to begin with. This time, though, Apple has been...
iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full iOS 18.5 Release Notes

Tuesday May 6, 2025 2:17 pm PDT by
Apple today seeded the release candidate version of iOS 18.5 to developers and public beta testers, giving us a look at the final version of the update that will be provided to the public next week. With the release candidate, Apple provided release notes, so we have a more complete look at the new features that are included in the update, including those that weren't found during the beta...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
top stories 2025 05 10

Top Stories: iOS 18.5 Release Imminent, iPhone Rumors for 2025 and Beyond, and More

Saturday May 10, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
With Apple's developer conference where it will show off iOS 19 just a month away, the company is wrapping up work on iOS 18.5 ahead of an imminent release to deliver a few new features and updates. This week also saw a number of iPhone-related rumors, encompassing not only this year's iPhone 17 lineup but also Apple's plans for 2026 and 2027, even as Apple's Eddy Cue suggested AI could make ...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Apple's Foldable iPhone Display Tech May Set New Industry Standard

Thursday May 8, 2025 3:29 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone will feature a new type of display panel developed by Samsung that has never been used in a foldable product, claims a source with links to Apple's supply chain. According to the account yeux1122 on the Korean Naver blog, the foldable iPhone will use a custom display process for which Apple will hold branding trademark rights, and that meets Apple's stringent ...

Top Rated Comments

AppleFan91 Avatar
107 months ago
Interesting. I like Apple Music a lot personally and it's good to see Spotify growing as well. This will lead to competition and improvements which ultimately benefit the consumer.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Corrode Avatar
107 months ago
I'm quite happy with Apple Music but find Spotify very tempting. Better playlists (imo) and user-curated and shareable playlists, direct to Sonos support, and now this lossless function are all things I wish Apple Music had.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
robjulo Avatar
107 months ago
Oh good lord, how many people do you think are really in that number? That promotion just started, it only applies to new subscribers and it only applies to digital subscriptions.

Neil Cybart (Very smart apple analyst) made a note on his podcast that "paying" includes people who got Spotify for free because they subscribed to the NYTimes.

Can anyone verify?

If that is the case then the number Spotify gives is not nearly as valuable as it would seem on the surface.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
a.gomez Avatar
107 months ago
There is no competition - right back to spotify after trial - it really is the best service hands down. I have a family plan with 3 members... Not sure how that works when they count.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
107 months ago
There is no competition - right back to spotify after trial - it really is the best service hands down. I have a family plan with 3 members... Not sure how that works when they count.
I don't know about mostly. They aren't a new company with a ton of promotions out there anymore. They have 30 million more than Apple. That's a lot.
Well, Apple Music is good. Spotify is good too. They're both good!

Not so long ago, there was no legal way to listen to an album, a band, or even a song, without buying the single or album — or hoping the radio plays it.

It's much better now. I love how easy it is these days for people to legally discover and listen to new music. And sure, it may not financially benefit the artist as much as they'd like.

But simply a confirmed number of song plays on a streaming application is infinitely more tangible than an album floating on a torrent website.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
B.K. Avatar
107 months ago
I will never directly pay for a music subscription service. That being said, I am an Amazon Prime member. I dowloaded their music app, its pretty good.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)