Roger Fingas
For Apple Music, the streaming music service due to be unveiled later on Monday at WWDC, Apple is reportedly setting an incredibly lofty goal of signing up 100 million subscribers.
The information comes from an Associated Press source, who did not specify a timeline for Apple's target. Nevertheless, 100 million would be unprecedented in the streaming music industry, as even Spotify said it had 60 million subscribers by the beginning of 2015, despite being multiplatform, multinational, and offering a free ad-supported tier. Just 15 million of those people were paid subscribers.
The source backed up a number of other recent claims about the service, such as a mandatory fee of $10 per month after a three-month trial period. The company is simultaneously expected to improve its free iTunes Radio service with celebrity DJs, such as former BBC personality Zane Lowe, and musicians such as Drake, Muse, David Guetta, and Pharrell Williams.
Beats Music will reportedly shut down after a subscriber migration campaign. That could lend credence to rumors that Apple Music will have a presence on Android, since Beats has a legacy presence on that platform (as well as iOS and Windows Phone), and many subscribers would otherwise be left out in the cold. Apple Music may also simply need to be multiplatform to have a chance of reaching 100 million people.
Apple has never before released a new app on a competing mobile platform. Typically it prefers to make features and services exclusive to iOS, as a way of boosting iPhone and iPad sales.
An announcement is expected at 10 a.m. Pacific time, during Apple's WWDC keynote. AppleInsider will be there to provide live coverage.
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It's good to set a high bar and I hope they hit that goal. I don't believe this number from the AP, however.
[quote name="SpamSandwich" url="/t/186622/rumor-claims-apple-wants-to-reach-100-million-subscribers-for-apple-music#post_2732152"]It's good to set a high bar and I hope they hit that goal. I don't believe this number from the AP, however.[/quote] I'd like for AI to list the services that don't want 100 million subscribers. :lol:
Beats Music is a subscription service. Why can't Apple just shut it down instead of dragging themselves into Android platform. I don't see any upside for Apple in doing so.
At least this means Apple Music will be available in many countries. Unlike iTunes Radio.