Apple Music has over 6.5 million paid subscribers, CEO Tim Cook said at a Wall Street Journal technology conference on Monday and added that another 8.5 million people are joining the music service's 90-day free trial, CNET reported.
"I'm finding personally that I'm discovering a whole lot of music that I wasn't listening to before," he said. "I think it's fabulous, and to have over 15 million on there, and 6.5 million in the paid category, I'm really happy about it. And I think the runway here is really good."
Launched on June 30 this year, Apple Music offers streaming music with playlists curated by "music experts”. It faces tough competition from the pioneers in this field like Spotify, which has 20 million paying users.
"We have music experts, just like the DJ when we were growing up...that are deciding what's next," Cook said. "And it gives you a feeling that there are no words in my vocabulary to describe...It brings the art back in music."
The subscription to free 90-day trial music period at Apple Music for first users expired on September 30. After the end of the free-trial period, the service will cost U.S. customers $9.99 a month. Subscribers can also opt for the family plan that provides service for up to six family members for $14.99 a month.
“If Apple reports between 30 million and 50 million trialists by year-end, then we can consider it successful,” music industry analyst Mark Mulligan of MIDiA Research told The Post. “More than 5 million paying subscribers would be a success. Above 7 million would be a strong success.”
