Apple Music gains subscribers at a fast clip - CNET

Enlarge Image

Apple Music may be the new kid on the block, but it appears to have the right stuff.

Apple's new music-streaming service has more than 11 million subscribers, according to Apple's Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi. The executives revealed the milestone, along with several other Apple tidbits, on an episode of John Gruber's podcast "The Talk Show" published Friday. Apple also confirmed the updated subscriber number in an email.

Streaming music has exploded in popularity in recent years, with Apple working hard to catch up. The $10-a-month service reportedly topped 10 million paying subscribers in its first six months, a milestone that rival music-streaming service Spotify took nearly six years to reach. In November, Apple extended the service to Google's Android operating system, the software that powers the majority of the world's mobile devices.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said in October that more than 6.5 million people had signed up for the streaming music service that launched at the end of June. Apple Music is also available in the UK for £10 a month and in Australia for AU$12.

Apple Music's rapid rise could be putting pressure on its competitors. Pandora, the Inteet's largest music-streaming service, is reportedly shopping for buyers. The company said Thursday it counted 81.1 million active users at the end of the fourth quarter, down from 81.5 million a year ago. Spotify, whose premium service costs the same as Apple Music in US, UK and Australia, counts 20 million paid members and another 75 million who listen for free.