Apple Music may have attracted criticism from big name Apple pundits recently, but it’s still killing it when it comes to subscribers.
According to a new interview with Eddy Cue, Apple has secured 11 million trial members so far, with 2 million of these opting for the $14.99 monthly family plan rather than the $9.99 standard one.
“We’re thrilled with the numbers so far,” Cue told USA Today.
There’s no guarantee that Apple will retain all these users when it comes time to pay (and, in fact, it seems very unlikely that they will). However, due to Apple’s auto-charging system, all 11 million of those individuals signed up for the free test will automatically be charged once the three-month trial ends.
By comparison, Spotify has lured more than 20 million pay subscribers since 2006.
Apple is reportedly aiming for a total of 100 million paying subscribers, which would roughly double the total number of people paying for streaming music right now.
As for the criticisms Apple Music has received, Cue says, “We’re aware that some users have experienced some issues, and we hate letting them down, but we’re releasing updates as fast as we can to address those issues.”
These improvements have so far included the ability to let Beats 1 listeners tune in to on-demand replays of their favorite shows, clarifications about how to navigate the Apple Music UI, and plenty of exclusives. There are also rumors of additional Beats 1 stations launching around the world.
Have you signed up for Apple Music yet and, if so, will you be paying once the free trial comes to an end in September? Leave your comments below.
