Apple Music hit 10m subscribers in four weeks, says report

Apple Music has hit 10 million subscribers within its first four weeks on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and iTunes, according to a report.

HITS Daily Double claimed that anonymous sources from major labels leaked the figures to it despite being bound by iron-clad confidentiality terms. The data allegedly comes directly from Cupertino, which is sharing streaming statistics internally with content owners.

Apple does not release figures on its streaming services, although at the company’s third quarter conference, CEO Tim Cook told investors that "millions and millions" had signed up for the service’s three-month trial.

If the figures are true, it would be a quicker uptake than what Apple expected, even with its massive customer base. The test now is how many of 10 million will stay on with the service after the initial free trial.

Apple is aiming at 100 million subscribers. That would mean it not only has to bring in consumers new to streaming but would have to get those on other services to switch over from the likes of Spotify, which has 75 million active users, and Pandora which has 79.4 million. Unlike Apple Music, these have free tiers.