As the battle between the top streaming services rages on, Apple Music has reportedly beat Spotify in one of the most important areas.
According to Digital Music News, Apple Music has surpassed Spotify’s number of paid U.S. subscriptions. Both streaming platforms currently have around 20 million paying users in the states; however, Apple Music recently pulled ahead of Spotify by “a hair.”
The report is based on information provided by an anonymous “major distributor.” DMN states the data breaks down the subscription tallies among the world’s top streaming services, including Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, and Sirius XM; the latter currently leads all the other platforms with about 33 million subscribers. DMN’s source asked the publication to withhold exact figures in order to protect their identity.
The new information is right in line with the Wall Street Journal’s previous predictions. Back in February, the publication reported Apple Music would surpass Spotify in U.S. paid subscriptions if it maintained a growth rate of 5 percent. That steady increase was partly attributed to the number of Apple devices that include Apple Music-specific features. As more HomePods and iPhones are sold, more customers will become exposed to the tech giant’s streaming service.
It’s important to note, however, that Apple is still trailing Spotify when it comes to global subscriptions. According to DMN, the latter company has only 45 million paid subscribers worldwide, while the latter has 70 million.
