Spotify says it has between 73 million and 76 million paying subscribers, around twice what Apple Music currently has. This year, Spotify plans for that number to grow to between 92 million and 96 million premium users.
According to Cupertino’s most recent figures, Apple Music has signed up 38 million users who pay a monthly subscription.
Apple’s long run of being an iPhone company is about to come to an end.
With iPhone X sales supposedly slipping, Apple’s days of depending on device sales for growth are almost over. But according to Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty, services will contribute more to Apple’s growth over the next five years than the iPhone will.
Freeloaders who use YouTube as a cheap alternative to Apple Music should get ready to be annoyed. YouTube is about to intentionally irritate users who treat the video site as a jukebox by increasing ads between songs.
The goal? Driving subscriptions to an as-yet-unannounced paid YouTube music service.
Jimmy Iovine will step back from his role at Apple and transition into a consultancy position this August, according to a new report.
Sources say he will “support” Apple executive Eddy Cue while spending more time with his family. It’s the second time we’ve heard that the Beats co-founder will leave Apple this year, but Iovine has previously labeled the claims “fake news.”
Almost 40 million people now pay to listen to Apple Music. That’s not bad for a service that was met with skepticism when it debuted back in 2015.
Apple Music still faces strong competition from Spotify and Google Play Music, but it’s growing strongly. And all those people putting down $9.99 a month adds significantly to Apple revenue as streaming services have become the top way to listen to music.
Apple is moving into magazine distribution by acquiring Texture, a digital subscription service that grants users unlimited access to their favorite titles for a single $9.99 monthly fee.
The service, which could be thought of as Apple Music for magazines, covers 200 top magazines. These can be read either in their complete form or via curated articles.
Rihanna is the first female artist to surpass 2 billion streams on Apple Music, according to a tweet sent out by Cupertino.
It’s not clear whether the quick stat refers to just Rihanna’s solo songs or includes other artists’ tracks on which she appeared. However, it’s a big achievement — and proof positive of just how big Apple Music is getting.
This tip is less of a how-to, and more of a why-to. Did you ever think about creating a sleep playlist for your HomePod? It’s a great idea for a few reasons.
Let’s see how it’s done.
iOS 12 will focus on fixing all the problems plaguing iPhone and iPad users. This concept imagines what it could do for Apple Music. It showcases a gorgeous new design with improved controls, and a dark mode that would be perfect for iPhone X.
Apple Music subscribers who use Android devices can now enjoy stable streaming. Apple’s latest update fixes the frustrating playback issues some users were facing on certain devices. It also adds the ability to listen to music videos in the background.
Apple Music’s biggest competition is about to get an influx of Wall Street cash.
Spotify finally filed documents for an initial public offering, after rumors of going public had been floating around for years. According to reports, the company could be worth as much as much as $23 billion, but it’s still not profitable.
The HomePod takes a lot of flak for being the dumbest smart speaker around, but it can do more than you might think. In today’s video, I’ll show you 20 HomePod tips you need to know.
(Just a quick heads-up: I’m going to be saying “Hey Siri” a few times in this video.)
Apple Music is great, but sometimes swiping and tapping around on your iPhone to find the right track is the opposite of great. That’s where Smart Playlists come in. These playlists automatically update themselves, based on criteria you choose, so you can quickly listen to, say, all the songs you have Loved, or everything you’ve added recently. If you’re exploring different subscription options, you might want to look into the Apple Music package, which offers various plans suited for different listening needs. Also, don’t miss out on this hand-picked playlist for fresh discoveries.
Let’s take a look at some of the best Smart Playlists for Apple Music on your iPhone.
Apple’s sponsorship of the 2018 Brit Awards, the musical awards ceremony held last night in London, brings special playlists and an exclusive live performance for Apple Music users.
Who said innovation was dead at Apple? Certainly not Fast Company, which just named the iPhone-maker the world’s most innovative company for 2018.
Apple secured the top spot “for delivering the future today.” AirPods, Apple Watch Series 3, ARKit, and iPhone X were recognized as its best products from the past year.
Rivals like Google and Samsung didn’t make the list.
Apple’s HomePod arrives in homes today. It’s already sold out online, but if you’re lucky you might still snap one up in an Apple store. And you probably should, because the HomePod looks to be just about the best small speaker you can buy — in terms of musical performance, anyway.
If you want to find out how to set up and get the best of your new HomePod, or if you want to read a bit more before deciding whether to get one, you’re in the right place. Below you’ll find all our HomePod coverage: how-tos, reviews, tips and opinions.
Apple’s most successful original TV show is coming back for a second act.
Carpool Karaoke has reportedly been greenlit for a second season, bringing even more odd celebrity pairings and silly singing shenanigans to Apple’s growing arsenal of original content.
Shuffle and skipping are two great tools for listening to new music on your iPhone, using Apple Music. You can download lots of new music to your iPhone, then set it to shuffle while you take a walk. If you’re also wearing a pair of AirPods, a double tap on one of them will skip any tracks you don’t like. It’s a great way to listen to new music, with one big, annoying side-effect: You end up with lots of unwanted downloads cluttering up your iPhone.
But with one simple smart playlist, you can fix that right now.
Instead of recognizing the voices of various users and serving up their personal tunes, HomePod is tied to one person’s Apple Music library. That leads to an unfortunate side effect: Whenever anyone in your home tells your HomePod to play a track, that song is added to your listening history.
That means your teenagers’ ironic Ramones session, or your spouse’s un-ironic David Hasselhoff listen-a-thon, will pollute your listening history — and affect your future recommendations. Here’s how to stop that from happening.
Apple has added an extra 79 regions to its list of locations offering Apple Music student membership — with three more being added on February 26. New markets offered include Israel, Malaysia, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, and Taiwan.
HomePod has landed. If you’re an Apple fan who loves audio, it’s a wonderful day. If you’re a speaker company, however, you now have to compete against the biggest tech brand in the world.
Sonos has shown it’s not scared by trolling HomePod with a Spotify playlist that contains a hidden message.
In the first reviews for Apple’s new HomePod speaker, everyone totally raves about the smart speaker’s pristine sound quality. Siri, on the other hand, doesn’t sound so brilliant. Many critics argue that Siri sucks compared to other voice assistants, highlighting its struggles with accuracy and responsiveness.
Apple seeded a few review units to major outlets ahead of this Friday’s HomePod launch. The embargo lifted this morning, and the early reviews reveal a few surprising tidbits about the HomePod.
Here’s what people are saying:
Music journalist Alex Gale is the new head of editorial for Apple Music, according to a new report. Gale, who has previously worked for the likes of Billboard, XXL and Vibe, will be responsible for all written content on Apple’s music platforms.
Apple Music on your iPhone or Mac can be controlled with fingers, mouse, keyboard, or voice. But with the HomePod, you’d better get used to talking. While you can stream music to your HomePod with any AirPlay device, if you want to control the speaker direct, you’ll have to do some talking. Happily, you can get practicing right now. Siri already has a bunch of useful Apple Music commands you can use, so let’s take a look.
Apple Music is on track to overtake Spotify as the biggest music streaming service in the United States. Apple’s service has been growing twice as fast, according to industry sources. If it maintains its current pace it will topple Spotify this summer.