Apple Music up to 20 million subscribers

Apple Music has confirmed that it now has more than 20 million subscribers. The streaming music service is still comparatively the new kid on the block, but it has been growing at a steady clip since its launch on June 30, 2015. Within its first year, the platform jumped out to 15 million subscribers. Adding another 5 million in just under six months shows that the service is holding strong, especially with the rollout of a more user-friendly redesign.

Any time there are subscriber updates from across the industry, it’s natural to review how it stacks up against the rest of the competition. Spotify is currently still in the lead with 40 million paying subscribers as of September. However, the next year could lead to some shuffles in the standings, with iHeartRadio debuting two new subscription products and Pandora Premium on the horizon. These new on-demand entries are stemming from existing lean-back services, just as Apple had a large consumer base for its tech products when it rolled out Apple Music. Time will tell if the newcomers are able to convert paying subscribers at as fast a clip.