Whether you’re a casual listener or a passionate fan of some mainstream pop star, you can’t deny that music has a significant role in our lives. These Apple Music statistics will tell us a story about the business side of art. In addition, you’ll learn about the music trends for 2022 and get a basic idea of how the music industry operates.
Top 10 Apple Music Statistics
- Apple Music’s revenue for 2020 was around US$4.1 billion (about $5.25 billion).
- There are around 72 million active Apple Music users, according to 2020 stats.
- In 2018, 23% of Apple Music users were 55 years old and above.
- In Q1 2021, Apple Music took up 16% of the global streaming market.
- As of 2021, there were over 90 million songs on Apple Music.
- The Apple Music most played song in 2021 was “Dynamite” by BTS.
- Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran made it to the Apple Music top artists list for 2021.
- Adele’s album “30” dominated the Apple Music global chart in December 2021.
- “Live Life Fast” by Roddy Ricch tops the Canadian Apple Music top albums list.
- Compared to Spotify, Apple Music offers more tracks for the same price.
Fascinating Apple Music Stats
To understand the true impact of this streaming service, we can begin by looking at some basic statistics.
1. Apple Music’s revenue in 2020 was around $US 4.1 billion (about $5.2 billion).
(Business of Apps)
While Apple doesn’t disclose the Apple Music revenue separately, it’s possible to estimate it based on other available data, such as the global streaming revenue and Apple Music’s total market share.
And the comparisons show that the Apple Music growth has been gradual but steady over the years.
These data estimations paint a clear picture of the service’s growth over the years. For example, in 2016, Apple’s total revenue from Apple Music was estimated to be US$0.6 billion (about $0.7 billion), which is impressive considering the fact that it was established just one year before.
2. The number of Apple Music subscribers exceeds 72 million.
(Business of Apps)
The number of subscribers has grown almost as gradually as its revenue. Back in 2015, when it was launched, Apple Music counted about 11 million subscribers. And it took only a year to reach 20 million active users.
Today, it’s one of the most popular platforms, with the number of members increasing on a day-to-day basis.
3. In 2018, 23% of Apple Music users were aged 55 and up.
(Statista)
Since 2018, no new Apple Music user statistics have been released. However, the available data shows that the platform was substantially more popular with older than younger generations. To put it in perspective, only about 17% of users were between 18 and 24.
The users aged 25–34 also played a central part in the Apple Music demographics at the time. They also accounted for 23% of listeners, making them another major group of users to have used the platform.
(Daily Music Roll)
Apple Music has always been a platform loved by its users, and this year was no exception. The streaming service occupies one of the top spots of the market, alongside other big names such as Spotify, Amazon Music, and Deezer.
5. The Apple Music service is available in 167 countries.
(Apple)
The platform was available in about 100 countries upon its release in 2015. Today, according to Apple Music data, it’s expanded its availability to 167 countries, covering pretty much every continent on the planet.
6. Apple Music offers over 90 million tracks in its catalogue.
(Apple)
More and more new songs get released each year. And streaming services play a crucial role in today’s music industry, making sure those releases are available for users on time, all the time.
Consequently, the number of songs on Apple Music constantly increases with every new release.
Today, the platform’s catalogue contains pretty much every song ever released — from small not-so-famous indie bands to mainstream pop stars.
Apple Music’s Music Stats for 2022
After displaying some general stats about the service itself, we may now analyze the statistics regarding the main focus of Apple Music — the music itself.
7. Apple Music year in review is the user’s best friend.
(Apple Music Replay)
To those who have experience with Spotify, this concept might seem familiar. Apple Music Replay is a feature that lets users look back on their favourite and most-listened-to songs and albums at the end of each year. So yes, it’s essentially the same as Spotify Wrapped.
8. Mariah Carey takes over the top 100 Apple Music charts every Christmas season.
(Apple Music)
If you’re unsure about whether Christmas truly is near, look no further than the music charts for confirmation. Just like every year, Mariah Carey has overtaken the Apple Music top songs charts with her classic Christmas hit song “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”
The song is currently topping the lists, both globally and in Canada.
Ranking third on the global and the Canadian list alike is Adele’s powerful ballad “Easy On Me.” Following her closely are “STAY” by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber and, on the Canadian chart, “Cold Heart” by Elton John and Dua Lipa.
9. The Apple Music most played song in 2021 was “Dynamite” by BTS.
(MacRumors)
Other popular tracks on this list include “driver’s license” by Olivia Rodrigo, “positions” by Ariana Grande, “For the Night” by Pop Smoke and “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd.
10. Drake broke Apple Music records for 2021 with his new album.
(The National News)
Canadian superstar’s album “Certified Lover Boy” was undoubtedly a trendsetter in 2021. This album is another significant milestone in Drake’s career, having broken the Apple Music record for the most-streamed album in 2021, only 12 hours after its release.
This record was previously held by Drake’s another album titled “Scorpion” from 2018.
11. “LIVE LIFE FAST” managed to top Apple Music top albums list in Canada.
(Kworb.net)
Michael Bublé’s “Christmas,” Juice WRLD’s “Fighting Demons,” and “30,” Adele’s latest album, were closely following Roddy Ricch’s chart-topping album on the Canadian market.
12. Adele’s “30” dominated the Apple top charts.
(9To5Mac)
This album was one of the most anticipated albums in recent music history. It quickly became the most pre-added album of all time on Apple Music. It also broke the record for the largest single-day pre-add on the platform.
13. Taylor Swift is one of the top Apple Music artists.
(Apple Insider)
In 2020, Taylor Swift released a record-breaking album titled “folklore.” This album was very well-received by critics and brought her another Album of the Year Grammy award at the beginning of 2021.
“folklore” did very well on Apple Music too. With it, Taylor officially broke their 24-hour pop album streams record. She has since moved on and released three more albums, two of which are re-recordings of the original versions.
Judging by the music stats, overall news and the number of streams, it’s safe to say that they’re also performing very well, and her fans are loving them.
Apple Music vs Other Platforms
Being one of the largest services on the market, it’s perfectly logical that Apple Music would have its rivals. However, Apple is certainly not the only company with a music streaming service. For example, Amazon has also introduced a similar platform called Amazon Music.
14. There’s no winner in the Apple Music vs Spotify price battle — the prices are basically the same.
(CNET) (Spotify)
Our research shows that their pricing plans are the same, for the most part. Apple Music provides three main plans—student, individual, and family.
The Apple Music student price is US$4.99 (about $6.40). The individual plan is US$9.99 (about $12.80), and the family plan costs the most — US$15.99 (about $20.50).
For Spotify, these numbers are almost the same. It offers the same three Premium plans as Apple Music, with the exception of the Duo plan that offers two Premium accounts. However, Spotify also has a separate free plan, which Apple Music doesn’t.
Although it’s free, this Spotify plan comes with noticeably more limited features than Premium.
15. User statistics show that Spotify is the more popular service.
(Business of Apps) (Statista)
When it comes to Spotify vs Apple Music users statistics, the odds are definitely in Spotify’s favour. As of the second quarter of 2021, the platform counted 172 million active subscribers, while the number of Apple Music subscribers amounted to 72 million as of 2020.
16. Apple Music and Spotify tracks generally differ in quality.
(CNET)
Apple Music now offers lossless spatial audio on a selection of tracks. So, the user can decide to configure that in Settings. This new feature brings an even better and more elevated experience to all Apple Music users.
On the other hand, Spotify allows users to change the quality settings, which is especially useful if you’re worried about it eating away too much of your internet data.
17. Apple Music offers a more extensive library of tracks than Spotify.
(CNET)
Generally, Spotify offers podcasts and other forms of content besides music, while Apple focuses more on the music aspect. With Apple Music, you’re getting a wider variety of tracks — about 5 million more, which is a staggering difference.
Apple Music users can also enjoy more than 33,000 expert-curated playlists. From “Top 100 Global” to “Alternative Workout” and “Sleep Sounds,” Apple has it all.
Apple Music and iTunes
While Apple Music is a popular music streaming service, it’s also essential to mention iTunes as another giant in the music industry.
18. Reviving your iTunes playlists is possible.
(Gear Patrol)
Unfortunately, with the latest update of the macOS, iTunes is no longer available on Apple devices. However, not all hope is lost, as your iTunes playlists still exist — they just have to be accessed through a different medium.
The easy way to do this is by using Apple Music. However, keep in mind that this means you have to get one of the subscription plans. Once you’re one of the Apple Music paid subscribers, you’ll be able to sync your playlists with this service and stream them right away.
19. Elton John and Adele topped the Canadian iTunes charts.
(iTunesCharts.net)
Despite the platform’s demise, iTunes streaming charts are still relevant for getting data about the most-streamed songs and albums in Canada.
Other honourable mentions on the top songs chart on iTunes include Ed Sheeran’s “Shivers” and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”
20. Pentatonix ranks 5th on the Canadian iTunes Top Albums chart.
(iTunesCharts.net)
Other albums on this list, according to iTunes’s chart metrics, include Michael Bublé’s “Christmas,” ranking first; Adele’s “30,” ranking second and Kelly Clarkson’s “When Christmas Comes Around…” ranking 8th.
Apple Music for Artists
Being an artist isn’t easy — especially today when pretty much everything has already been done. However, Apple knows that artists are the key element of Apple Music, and they’ve come up with unique ways to help the artists succeed and make it to Apple Music’s leaderboard.
21. Logic Pro lets artists create files compatible with Apple Music.
(Apple)
Apple’s music production software, Logic Pro, now comes with numerous updated plug-ins. These updates will increase the productivity of artists and make their tracks instantly and directly compatible with Apple Music’s newer features, such as spatial sound.
22. Apple Music offers excellent marketing tools for artists’ promotion.
(Apple)
Apple is aware of how difficult it is for an artist to stand out. So Apple Music top artists and those indie musicians who are just jumpstarting their careers can equally benefit from Apple Music’s promotion program.
Since Apple Music doesn’t offer a free-tier membership, the user experience for the platform is already ad-free. So this promotion program is there to help further establish the artist’s platform without pushing their ads to other users.
Conclusion
So, there you go, the Apple Music Statistics you’ve been searching for. Whether we’re talking about Canada or the entire world, music is something universal, and platforms like this make it easily accessible to anyone at any time.
FAQ
When was Apple Music launched?
Apple Music was launched on June 30, 2015. Prior to this launch, Apple’s only real contact with the music industry was iTunes. However, the music industry was shifting to new business models that involved streaming, and Apple Music was created to meet that demand.
(Music Business Worldwide)
How many subscribers does Apple Music have?
As of 2021, Apple Music had over 72 million active paying subscribers. Compared to 2019, when there were 50 million users on the platform, that is a staggering growth of over 20 million users in two years.
(Business of Apps)
How much is Apple Music in Canada?
After the free trial period, Apple Music in Canada costs $9.99 for individual users, $4.99 for students, and $14.99 for families. Unfortunately, the free tier isn’t available, so users still need to choose one of the plans once their trial period ends.
(Apple)
How much does Apple Music pay artists?
Apple’s average per play rate is US$0.01. This value usually varies according to subscription plans and country or region and includes label and publishing royalties.
(Apple)
How many artists are on Apple Music?
Almost every artist nowadays uses Apple Music for promotion and getting streams on their songs. Furthermore, according to Apple Music statistics, Apple paid out royalties for over 5 million recording artists worldwide in 2020.
(Apple)
Sources:
- 9To5Mac
- Apple
- Apple
- Apple
- Apple
- Apple
- Apple
- Apple Insider
- Apple Music
- Apple Music
- Apple Music Replay
- Business of Apps
- CNET
- Daily Music Roll
- Gear Patrol
- iTunesCharts.net
- Kworb.net
- MacRumors
- Music Business Worldwide
- Spotify
- Statista
- Statista
- The National News
Dusan Trickovic
An eye for aesthetics and a passion for writing and technology are both parts of Dusan’s essence. He is a curious spirit with an appreciation for a well-written story and pop and indie-folk music, undying love for cats and deep knowledge of Taylor Swift’s lyrics. He discovered his passion for writing at a young age. Dusan’s creativity has been unlimited ever since, prompting him to compose various pieces one word at a time.
