Apple Music now boasts more US-based subscribers than Spotify, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. While both companies only divulge worldwide subscriber figures, sources allegedly familiar with both companies revealed that Apple Music in February of this year had 28 million paid subscribers in the U.S. compared to 26 million for Spotify.
Worldwide, Apple still has a bit of catching up to do. Last we heard, Apple has approximately 56 million subscribers worldwide whereas Spotify currently has more than 96 million paid subscribers across the globe.
While Apple Music has been slower to catch up to Spotify than initially thought, Apple’s streaming service is still growing at a faster clip. In other words, it may be only a matter of time before Apple Music manages to surpass Spotify in terms of cumulative paid subscribers.
The Journal adds:
Apple Music is growing faster globally—at a rate of about 2.4% to 2.8%, compared with Spotify’s 2% to 2.3%—and the gap is starting to close in other markets outside the U.S., according to the people familiar with the numbers.
With Apple Music slowly but surely closing in on Spotify, the Swedish-based company has embarked on a number of compelling initiatives to attract new users and keep current subscribers from jumping ship. Most notably, Spotify this March rolled out a new plan wherein premium subscribers can access Hulu’s ad-supported tier free of charge.
While the battle for music streaming supremacy is often viewed as a zero-sum game, the impressive growth exhibited by both Spotify and Apple Music suggests that there may very well be room for two streaming giants.
