Sure, Spotify beat iTunes in ourhead-to-head battle of the streaming giants, thanks to better music-discovery algorithms and less rapt focus on iOS and OSX usability, but that doesn’t mean we can’t see why Apple is winning the civil war of stateside streaming. Here’s how Apple Music pulled ahead of Spotify in the U.S.
Big Name Partnerships
Drake, in particular, has seen significantly higher streaming counts on Apple Music than on Spotify.
Drake, in particular, has seen significantly higher streaming counts on Apple Music than on Spotify,recently shattering Apple Music’s 24-hour play count recordwith 170 million streams in the day following the release of his 2018 albumScorpion. Rapper J. Cole saw nearly double the number of streams on Apple Music than he did on Spotify in the day following the release of his latest record,KOD,in May 2018 — with over 64 million streams on Apple Music compared to just 36.7 million plays on Spotify.
Beyond offering listeners earlier access to their favorite artists’ new material, Apple Music has made a name for itself among die-hard fans by offering them access to artists via its popular Beats One radio service. A huge cast of cult-beloved musicians like Drake, Frank Ocean, Pharell, Ryan Adams, Deadmau5, and more have radio shows on Beats One, and this provides yet another reason for fans to choose Apple Music over Spotify; Spotify offers the very bestalgorithmic playlists that exist, but if you’re a die-hard fan of an artist with an Apple Music radio show, you’re more likely to choose Apple’s service.
More Human Radio
Zane LoweApple Music
While Spotify generates radio-style listening based on user data, Apple employsiconic tastemakers like Zane Loweand others to offer listeners compelling interviews, exclusive first-listens, and various other content that they simply won’t find elsewhere. This might not be the kind of content that draws in casual listeners, but if you’re serious about staying up on the latest pop or hip-hop releases or news, there is a serious incentive to pick Apple Music over other on-demand streaming competitors.
Better iOS and OSX integration
If you already own an iPhone and a Mac, there’s no reason that you wouldn’t try Apple Music first.
Those who amassed big libraries on iTunes may feel particularly tethered to Apple Music, as the company makes it easier than any other to maintain the same playlists and various other settings that listeners had in their iTunes library.
Continuing the climb
Apple’s numbers may be growing, but with itsrecent public offeringand the continued popularity of itsunpaid on-demand tier, Spotify will still continue to be the biggest player in the music streaming game for some time. That said, Apple is doing well to build its user base in the biggest streaming music market on earth, and we can expect that the company will continue to use big-name artists, human DJs, and clean iOS integrations to work towards eventual global domination.
