Roger Fingas
Keeping ahead of Apple in on-demand streaming, Spotify on Thursday revealed that it has over 140 million active users worldwide, including both Premium customers and people on its free ad-supported tier.
The company didn't break out the number of Premium listeners, from which it generates more income. In March, however, it said that it had hit the 50 million mark, a figure which has likely grown since.
As of last week's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple Music had some 27 million subscribers. The service is paid-only apart from a three-month trial.
Its growth has nevertheless been fairly rapid, having first launched in June 2015. Spotify dates back to Oct. 2008, which has helped make it the "default" platform for on-demand music.
The company received a boost last week when pop star Taylor Swift restored her catalog to the service, ending a boycott in place since 2014. That also signaled an end to Apple Music's exclusive hold on much of Swift's library, including her most recent album "1989."
Apple has increasingly turned to video as way of distinguishing itself from rival streaming options, with shows such as "Carpool Karaoke" and "Planet of the Apps," and documentaries about subjects like Bad Boy Records.
Charles Martin
Christine McKee
Wesley Hilliard
Malcolm Owen
Andrew Orr
William Gallagher
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Spotify financials:
Revenue up 50% to $3.3 billion; operating loss $390 million; net loss $601 million.
The more "successful" they are, the faster they are headed for destruction.
Apple should offer a cheaper Apple Music tier. Perhaps it could be limited to a fixed number of hours usage per month.
If you rarely listen to music $9.99 is a bit steep.
With Spotify being over 5 times a large as Apple Music, will government agencies stop giving Spotify a handkerchief whenever it cries that Apple is abusing its power over the App Store? Obviously Spotify is doing something right to have so many people signing onto its service.