The chances that Spotify can offer a lower cost service are nonexistent- Spotify needs to make money (or at least not go completely broke) from their service. Apple needs to sell hardware - a non-profitable Apple Music is fine with them. And as for “better app”: Spotify hasn’t even managed to produce an AppleTV app. To get better than Apple Music, they need to at least catch up with it first...
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Apple Music Growing at Record Pace With Two Million Subscribers Added in Just Five Weeks
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As you said yourself, the playlists are better on Spotify - which to me is important. Some playlists change daily or weekly, so importing them with a third-party app is an inconvenience. Everything else being equal (price, etc.) might as well use the service with the best playlists.
Also, personally, I find the Apple Music UI to be nothing short of atrocious. Which is a shame, Apple was the company that taught me to appreciate good UI. I cancelled Hulu because their new UI is terrible. I've always disliked using Sony products (even though I like their hardware) because their UI is always a mess. Same with music streaming, I'm not going to pay to use a service with such a terrible UI.
Also, as I said above, at least with the family plan, Spotify is also less expensive.
So yea, but for the better playlists on Spotify, better UI on Spotify, and lower cost of Spotify, they are "completely the same."
Spotify is definitely NOT a lower cost. It is $9.99/mo for Family Member 1, and $4.99/mo each for Family Members 2-6. That’s nearly $35/mo for six family members. AM is $14.99 for a TOTAL of six family members. I know math can be tricky.
Bottom line, Spotify is better for YOU and YOUR needs. Apple Music is better for ME and MY needs. It is completely ignorant otherwise to believe that Spotify is just a blanket better platform for EVERYONE to justify your argument. Move along, young audiophile...
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Because Apple wants Apple people to pay Apple for music. Not paying Google for Google play is not doing what Apple wants us to do, nor further enriching Apple.
Here, sip this koolaid and you'll understand that the way of the Apple is the way for all. Resistance is futile. Star Trek TOS saw this coming nearly 50 years ago- just got the name wrong...
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Where are you getting your numbers? Spotify Family is $14.99/month TOTAL for six users. https://www.spotify.com/us/family/ It has had this plan for longer than AM even existed.
And unlike AM, users 2-6 don't have to have their App Store payment credit card tied to the account of user 1. This is a huge turn-off for a lot of potential users.
Before being snarky with quips about "math," how about you actually know what you're talking about before mashing the keyboard.
Better than an ATV app, Spotify Connect is built-in to most new home theater receivers
Actually, I would love an Spotify app for the ATV.
Same here, AM offers me music in For You that I’d never listen to, even when I reset and set up again, I found Spotify far better.
Also, mood playlists seem easier to access on Spotify. I could never find them on AM - where were they hidden?
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Spotify is a one product company. As such it will need to raise prices at some point to make a profit. This is Apple's long term plan as well, it will just be easier for Apple to do. Apple is not a low cost vendor, its model is superior experience with a premium price. I think the HomePod is part and parcel of that superior experience that will expand when Apple starts streaming its own content.
Unfortunately, Spotify is primarily an Android product, because Android manufacturers do not own a music service and Android users are low volume buyers of online products/services. You can see this in the ratio of paid to "free" ad supported subscribers.
Apple doesn't need more paid subscribers than Spotify for Apple Music to be successful. Apple's CONTENT efforts will be fed by HomePod, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods, iTunes, movies and more (just like Amazon's total net income is derived exclusively from its AWS division). The aggregate of all those Apple products generates >$50 Billion in Free Cash Flow per annum.
I never said it was better for you and your needs. Indeed, we weren't even talking about needs until you just mentioned it. I was first responding to your list of alleges AM benefits, all of which Spotify can do too and better. Then I was responding to your mischaracterization of what I said; I was not saying they are completely the same.
If AM works for you, great. Seriously.
I'm an Apple fan by and large. I'm not happy that, in my opinion, Apple put our such a turd of a music streaming service. I'd switch to AM right now if (1) the playlists were better, (2) the UI was actually usable, and (3) the family sharing didn't require everyone to share an App Store credit card.
I'd note that your trolly snark and veiled insults are a violation of the forum rules.
Fine, then Spotify recently updated their family plan to MATCH APPLE MUSIC, so it’s STILL not cheaper. I don’t use Spotify anymore and wasn’t aware they updated this policy (in 2016). Guess it’s hard to keep up with such an inconsistent service—forgive me.
Have fun with Spotify. When they go out of business after their investors get sick of their lack of profit and continued slow growth, come enjoy what Apple Music has to offer. You know, since it’s exactly the same and all, except that black background...
It takes a special kind of troll to try to spin a competitive price-cut as a negative thing... Also, 2 years ago is "recently"?
With the app as it is today, I'd sooner switch to Pandora Premium than Apple Music. That AM app is an insult to everything industrial design stands for.
On AM they seem to be mostly under Browse > Playlists > Activities & Moods on both iOS & desktop iTunes. Others seem to appear under Browse > genres. I love and subscribe to many of the classical ones, both themed by mood/activity and by composer/era.
I used to subscribe to Spotify, and some aspects (discovery in particular) were better there, and others (curated playlists & sound quality) I prefer AM. I'm of the opinion that both are excellent services, and the more music one listens to, the better value they are.
Watching Baby Driver over the weekend, there is a scene where the main character carjacks on older woman, then wastes a couple of minutes obsessively finding just the right music to drive away with. My wife insists, in that scene at least, that character is me
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Here's something I just thought about...
There are around 300 million people who use music streaming services if we add up all the users of Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Pandora, etc.
But there are BILLIONS of people who enjoy music around the globe.
While there are more people streaming music than ever before... what's everyone else doing? Are they still buying individual songs? Or are they listening to their MP3 rips from years ago?
Music is universal... but music streaming still seems like a small percentage of the total music industry.
Has anyone else noticed this?
There are around 300 million people who use music streaming services if we add up all the users of Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Pandora, etc.
But there are BILLIONS of people who enjoy music around the globe.
While there are more people streaming music than ever before... what's everyone else doing? Are they still buying individual songs? Or are they listening to their MP3 rips from years ago?
Music is universal... but music streaming still seems like a small percentage of the total music industry.
Has anyone else noticed this?
Just one data point here but I've found a combination of internet radio, old school radio, podcasts*, and my existing catalog of music serves me just fine. Did the 3 month AM trial and there was no way I was going to pony up $10/mo for that. Note I have several other paid subscription services but they fulfill a niche I can't solve for free (or at least well less than ~$120/year).
*Podcasts, while clearly not exactly the same as music, compete directly for the same time that music listening occupies, at least for me. Obviously, that's yet another free option.
There's a reason why stockholders often love subscriptions (see AMZN, COST, etc.) - there are lots of Prime members that don't use enough of the benefits to justify the $99/yr and Costco members that don't shop there enough to justify that membership either. Sure, there are super-users that actually make it well worth it, but good companies have that calculated in. That's what's so astounding to me - how are music subscription services not profitable at $10/mo?? Blows my mind.
I did not sign up for Apple Music until my homePod (Home Pod?) had actually arrived on the front doorstep. Very glad I don't have to report and make sense of these numbers, as it seems complicated to figure it out and how churn will go.
Spotify has very high marginal costs. About 70% of their revenue goes record labels, so the more they earn, the more they pay. Netflix gets got keep most of the money they make, so it’s more profitable in a sense.
Maybe if Apple hurried up with their Windows 10 app (and while we’re at it, pits out Apple Music for Playstaion and Xbox) they could snag even more users. With Apple’s product’s holding pretty low market share in every product category except tablets, there’s only so far they can go without releasing for other platforms aside from the ones they already target. The android app is fantastic, so I’m sure they could do great work on the consoles too.
Throw in a news subscription while you are at it. Then you will be paying a monthly fee for news, music and content.
All your money are belong to Apple.
Probably buying CD's, the percentage of people that their favorite music is just not on any streaming service at all
People seem to either forget this or intentionally not mention it when claiming Apple Music doesn’t work for them. Thanks for bringing it up.
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It’s going to go somewhere, nothing is truly free.Throw in a news subscription while you are at it. Then you will be paying a monthly fee for news, music and content.
All your money are belong to Apple.
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Apple Music is best for my family needs, FWIW.
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Apple Music has allowed us (Family plan) to find new music we love. It doesn’t take much effort to get this to happen, either.