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Apple Music Reportedly Surpasses Spotify Subscriber Count in the U.S.
- Thread starter MacRumors
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mi7chy
Suspended
Browser support is considered universal which Apple Music lacks support for.
Nobody wants to install iTunes if they have a choice. It also isn't available on major OS' like Linux and on Windows it's like malware since it bogs down your PC and you can't completely uninstall it through the original installer/uninstaller but have to manually hunt down the other things it leaves behind.
Unfortunately, I have to install that malware to restore my iPad but it's always a headache uninstalling it afterwards.
Not surprised, seems like Spotify is getting a little desperate. The $4.99 Hulu/Spotify plan is an amazing deal and really the only reason I switched back from Apple Music.
I'm honestly stuck on Apple Music because Watch has no Spotify support. Kind of sucks as I want to get new Sonos Beams for my TVs because the HomePod works poorly as a sound bar but AM doesn't work w/ voice control. First world problems I suppose.
I have used both for awhile now though and I think they are pretty much even, I don't understand why everyone gets so bent out of shape about which one is better. I'm a big fan of the Chill Mix though, which Spotify does not have.
I have used both for awhile now though and I think they are pretty much even, I don't understand why everyone gets so bent out of shape about which one is better. I'm a big fan of the Chill Mix though, which Spotify does not have.
My favorite part of Apple Music was Siri. On a long commute, instead of fiddling with the phone trying to type and search a song I could simply press the home button and say “Siri play —-“ I really hope the new shortcuts app in iOS 12 can add that.
thatguitarguy
Suspended
I'm Team Spotify all the way.
The black and green UI is very easy on the eyes. White background with black text (like this site, lol) is very hard on my eyes. If Apple Music had a dark mode, with maybe another color than white text, I'd be moving over pretty quickly.
I think as far as UI colors go - black and green is the best I've seen to date. I love that green over the black background.
The black and green UI is very easy on the eyes. White background with black text (like this site, lol) is very hard on my eyes. If Apple Music had a dark mode, with maybe another color than white text, I'd be moving over pretty quickly.
I think as far as UI colors go - black and green is the best I've seen to date. I love that green over the black background.
RudySnow
Suspended
I prefer Apple Music, but I also prefer Spotify’s playlists. So I use my free Spotify account to grab the lists, and use Houdini or Stamp to transfer them to Apple Music—I even copy the playlist art because I hate the jumbled Apple Music playlist art that they automatically curate.
I pay for Apple Music - being able to stream all my playlists from many years on all devices was just too tempting. I still go to Spotify for their new music and discover weekly occasionally. Apple Music has been pretty great.
One big way Apple is ahead- filter explicit content by user. Spotify just introduced for devices for premium users. Its a huge feature. Would never go back to not being able to filter.
One big way Apple is ahead- filter explicit content by user. Spotify just introduced for devices for premium users. Its a huge feature. Would never go back to not being able to filter.
So the first 5 out of 7 things you've listed are Apple related devices. Then you blanketly say Windows/Android. I don't know for Android, but for Windows, you've failed to mention that you have to install iTunes which is one of the worst music applications out there on Windows. If you don't install iTunes, you can't access Apple Music. At least Spotify allows you to listen via a web browser.
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You've left off fashion statement by accident (or intentionally). 🙂
I stuck with Apple when they were nearly in oblivion because I liked the products, same goes for Spotify.
Apple's market position is such that if they couldn't make a default-loaded streaming service on every device they sell hugely popular, there would have been something really wrong with the service. Microsoft was able to do the same with Internet Explorer.
Spotify is just better software for me regardless of marketshare, just as Apple has (had?) been the same for me (I say had because I currently have no idea what I'll do when my 13" 2013 rMBP gives up the ghost . . . they will have had to make radical changes to their hardware quality or I'll probably jump to Lenovo).
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Lenovo sells different tiers of products, but they have much less expensive laptops than Apple's that compared to Apple's are built like a tank. They're the brand of laptop used on the space station, have military specifications, etc. Apple's recent laptops haven't been able to stand up to a speck of dust. The only Mac laptop I can currently recommend to friends/family is the MacBook Air, which is kind of sad as it needs updates.
Apple's market position is such that if they couldn't make a default-loaded streaming service on every device they sell hugely popular, there would have been something really wrong with the service. Microsoft was able to do the same with Internet Explorer.
Spotify is just better software for me regardless of marketshare, just as Apple has (had?) been the same for me (I say had because I currently have no idea what I'll do when my 13" 2013 rMBP gives up the ghost . . . they will have had to make radical changes to their hardware quality or I'll probably jump to Lenovo).
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Lenovo sells different tiers of products, but they have much less expensive laptops than Apple's that compared to Apple's are built like a tank. They're the brand of laptop used on the space station, have military specifications, etc. Apple's recent laptops haven't been able to stand up to a speck of dust. The only Mac laptop I can currently recommend to friends/family is the MacBook Air, which is kind of sad as it needs updates.
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Glideslope
macrumors G3
for me it comes down to the same as buying smartphones. I want high quality products. I dont want cheap items. I am AM and iPhones all the way. Why would I want a cheap smartphone like an android or a cheap music service like Spotify which is a broke company?
Its like getting green text messages. Why would you want inferior devices and inferior services?
AM and Apple are high quality products. Case closed for me.
[doublepost=1530915022][/doublepost]Why inflict upon yourself a cheap android service? We all deserve better. You look and feel an Android, its a piece of crap. Its junk. Look at an iPhone to compare. Its night and day. Why would someone want inferior cheap products. I want luxury high priced items specially Apple because its hand crafted and labored over, lovingly.
Its like getting green text messages. Why would you want inferior devices and inferior services?
AM and Apple are high quality products. Case closed for me.
[doublepost=1530915022][/doublepost]Why inflict upon yourself a cheap android service? We all deserve better. You look and feel an Android, its a piece of crap. Its junk. Look at an iPhone to compare. Its night and day. Why would someone want inferior cheap products. I want luxury high priced items specially Apple because its hand crafted and labored over, lovingly.
typecase
macrumors 6502
I way prefer Spotify over Apple Music if for no reason other than it doesn't mess up my well-curated collection of purchased and ripped music in my iTunes library that I've been organizing since 2004. The fact that Apple Music royally messes this up is the reason I'm unhappy with its inclusion in the music (formally iPod) app and iTunes. I feel it should be its own thing. Also, it's available for my Mac, PC, iPhone, web and if I ever go there--Android, something that is more and more likely as my headphone jacked iPhone six crawls its way to obsolescence.
Apple_Robert
Contributor
The rest of the world is wrong a lot of the time. 😉
I like Apple Music even though I find their Classic Rock Radio lacking.
FightTheFuture
macrumors 68000
Thrown down!
I can totally see why people prefer Spotify over Apple Music, or Tidal over Apple Music, or Amazon Prime, Google, Pandora whatever over Apple Music. But come on - people holding their preferences so close to the chest and dismissing Apple Music is abhorrent.
Apple Music is a fantastic product. Stop trying to turn this into Google Maps vs. Apple Maps. It's not that at all.
I’m with you. I’ve been using it since 2012 and it’s only gotten better. Just because it flies under the radar and isn’t marketed doesn’t mean jack about its quality. The only issue I have on the Android version is the back button bonanza to get back to the home screen but, overall layout, personal uploads, sound quality, 35 million songs (second only to Apple) and YouTube Red? Amazing value for my dollars.
tonyr6
macrumors 68000
Another BS article the same BS saying that Netflix has gotten strong subscriber numbers. No one I know has Apple Music and now I am an ex Apple Music subscriber. The past 2 months I have been seeing more albums and songs vanish that are availabe on Spotify and Play Music. The last straw was today when I went to listen to one of my favorite albums that I just listened to the night before again and I got this. Yet the full album is still on Spotify and Play Music.
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I agree. The underrated services are always better than the so called overrated crap services.
Attachments
the ecosystem of spotify listening devices are horrible. i tried turning on repeat all mode on my echo, it wouldn't do it. tried asking alexa to replay the same song, wouldn't do it. tried fast fowarding 1 minute, it wouldn't do it. setting up the echo tap was a nightmare as well.
you're also not being locked in by using Apple Music. you can use iTunes on Windows and the Apple music app on Android. if you don't like Apple Music, it's quite easy to move over to spotify and import your playlists. you do lose the ability to sync custom audio files over cloud, but that's just the nature of spotify not having cloud storage.
artfossil
macrumors 68000
My iTunes library also represents years and years of collection and curation. Subscribing to Apple Music had no effect on it. What it did do was make MY library and MY playlists, PLUS the entire Apple Music catalogue, available to me on all of my devices all of the time. It has made me love my music anew as well as enabled me to add new music to my library. And I don’t have to worry about external drives or storage capacity.
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tonyr6
macrumors 68000
Apple Music does have the best sound quality and no I don't count Tidal because even if they have the album good luck finding it with there push of hip hop garbage. However AM likes to randomly pull albums and songs not just from AM but even the iTunes store. If you search for those missing albums I complained about you can't even buy them from the store no more. So the past 2 months creating a No longer available playlist I lost about 26 songs and 3 albums.
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Just don't pay for the year. I had to beg Apple on the phone for a prorated refund. Pay every service monthly. It might cost you more but at least you are not locked into a yearly contract and stuck with it if it gets bad. I am actually glad Google and Spotify don't offer yearly rates.
Abazigal
Contributor
It’s always amusing to watch the haters twist themselves into knots trying to explain why Apple is wrong or otherwise not winning in a particular area.
It wasn’t so long ago that critics were proclaiming that Apple Music was too far behind Spotify to ever catch up. Spotify just had too many subscribers, they said. And now, all the excuses come flying out. Oh, Apple Music is integrated into Apple devices. Oh this. Oh that.
It’s been pointed out time and time again that it’s not raw market share in a vacuum which matters but usage share to a company. Compared to the rest of the world, US subscriptions tend to be worth more because they generate more money. This is why the US market is so important.
And Apple has the advantage here because they have aggregated the best customers who are willing to spend on such stuff. This is a crucial point which somehow keeps getting glossed over every time. People made the same mistake when comparing iPhone sales to android phone sales many moons ago, and still they fail to learn from history.
And yet whenever I point this out, I get labelled as a Apple fanboy who values profits over I dunno, profitless market share?
Seriously?
Onwards, Apple! All the way to the top!
It wasn’t so long ago that critics were proclaiming that Apple Music was too far behind Spotify to ever catch up. Spotify just had too many subscribers, they said. And now, all the excuses come flying out. Oh, Apple Music is integrated into Apple devices. Oh this. Oh that.
It’s been pointed out time and time again that it’s not raw market share in a vacuum which matters but usage share to a company. Compared to the rest of the world, US subscriptions tend to be worth more because they generate more money. This is why the US market is so important.
And Apple has the advantage here because they have aggregated the best customers who are willing to spend on such stuff. This is a crucial point which somehow keeps getting glossed over every time. People made the same mistake when comparing iPhone sales to android phone sales many moons ago, and still they fail to learn from history.
And yet whenever I point this out, I get labelled as a Apple fanboy who values profits over I dunno, profitless market share?
Seriously?
Onwards, Apple! All the way to the top!
imlovinit
macrumors 6502a
All the bickering on whats "better" makes me thankful we even have options. Use what works best for you. In the end thats all that matters.
MrXiro
macrumors 68040
Ad supported music has been around for decades. Your logic doesn't work because RADIO did the same thing for longer than you or I have been alive. Your "because I pay a premium for it, means I'm supporting the artists" is nothing more than patting yourself on the back for buying into a locked in system. You do you, dude but AM isn't significantly better than Spotify, which is the same price and to me it seems more crippled because of their paywall hardware that it's locked in to. The number of paying subscribers on Spotify is still a large number, despite that AM has surpassed it. Add on the Ad supported revenue the popular artist probably see a significant more $ from Spotify than from AM. Can't say the same for the artists that don't get much play though.
The people who "choose" not to spend money on something wouldn't be paying for Apple Music either. So by even using the free version of Spotify they are contributing to the Artist's finances based off of the Ad revenue. While it's not much, is still higher than the $0 they're getting from the same person NOT listening to their song AM.