Yahoo News Apple Music hits 20 million paying subscribers
Apple Music has hit an important milestone. The service now has more than 20 million subscribers, Billboard reported Tuesday.
This is a 15% increase from September, when Apple said the service had 17 million paying customers.
SEE ALSO: Apple Music student subscription is now available in over 30 countries
Apple's SVP of internet software and products, Eddy Cue, told Billboard that 60 percent of Apple Music users have not bought any content from the iTunes Music Store in the last 12 months.
Cue also touted Apple's partnership with Chance the Rapper, whose Apple Music-exclusive album Coloring Book performed well on the Billboard charts.
"We were thrilled to see that we could take [artists'] passions and drive them all the way to No. 1. Chance the Rapper, who we put on Apple Music exclusively, hit the top 10 on the Billboard charts [based on streams alone], and I can't recall that being done before," Cue said before noting more Apple exclusives to come.
The rise of Apple Music is impressive. Reaching 20 million paying subscribers in 18 months is no small feat. But the service has a ways to go before it catches up with Spotify, which reached 40 million paying customers in September 2016.
Unlike Spotify, Apple Music does not offer a free version, but it does allow a three-month gratis trial run compared to Spotify's one-month free trial. In the U.S., both services are offering unlimited music streaming for $9.99 per month for individual users.
