Apple Music Subscribers Grow Faster in U.S.

Apple Music is on track to overtake Spotify by number of U.S. subscribers, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people in the music business familiar with figures reported by the two services.

Though Spotify has long held the No. 1 spot, Apple Music appears to be adding subscriber accounts in the U.S. at a faster rate. The tech giant's U.S. subscriptions have been growing about 5 percent monthly, compared to Spotify's 2 percent, the publication said.

Spotify is currently the largest music streaming service globally, with Apple Music coming in second. But, If those growth rates continue, Apple will overtake Spotify in accounts this summer.

Neither Apple Music nor Spotify publicly breaks out figures for its U.S. subscribers or any other markets.

Spotify launched years before Apple Music, and has the reach to show for it. Currently, the streaming service has more than double Apple's total number of subscribers, and last month boasted a new high in paid global subscribers of 70 million. Apple Music now has 36 million global subscribers, up from 30 million the company reported in September.

The number of subscribers to both services are often boosted by individual users who are on family plans and users with discounted subscriptions that come in a bundle along with other services.

Spotify is due to carry out a highly anticipated initial public offering in the first half of 2018.The company has confidentially filed for an IPO with U.S. regulators.

Representatives for both Apple and Spotify could not immediately be reached for comment.


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