Apple Music just got one step closer to topping Spotify as the world's most popular streaming service. During a media panel, Eddy Cue revealed that Apple Music gained 2 million subscribers in the past five weeks.
That's impressive for two reasons. First, gaining two million paying subscribers represents big growth for Apple Music. Second, the fact that Apple Music gained the subscriber base in just five weeks is even more impressive as it highlights the appeal of Apple's streaming service.
Back in February, The Wall Street Journal reported Apple Music's subscriber base was at 36 million. The added two million subscribers now brings Apple Music's total subscriber base to 38 million.
By that calculation, Apple Music's growth stands at 400,000 per week or 1.6 million per month. That's the biggest growth average Apple Music has experienced since it launched in 2015.
Spotify is still the top music streaming service by a comfortable margin with a reported 71 million paying subscribers. The streaming service hasn't revealed whether or not that number has grown in the subsequent two and a half months. But considering Spotify's numbers are even larger when you take into accounts its free-tier service, bringing its total subscriber base to 159 million, it still has plenty of room left to breathe.
Don't count Apple Music out on ever catching up. The 2 million figure is a significant jump, and as the HomePod and Apple Music exclusives give Apple's music streaming service more appeal, it may just be a matter of time before Spotify's lead becomes nonexistent.
