Apple Music

Apple Music
Type	Subsidiary of Apple Inc.
Founded	June 30, 2015
Founder	Apple Inc. (with Jimmy Iovine and Eddy Cue)
Headquarters	Cupertino, California, United States
Industry	Music streaming, Digital media, Internet radio
Products	Music streaming, Internet radio, Spatial Audio, Lossless audio, Apple Music Classical, Apple Music Sing
Services
Key people
Parent	Apple Inc.
Subsidiaries
Website	music.apple.com

Apple Music is a subscription-based music and video streaming service developed and operated by Apple Inc. Apple Music is a music streaming service launched by Apple in June 2015. The service is available in 167 countries and currently has over 100 million songs. It is one of the world's largest music streaming platforms and a direct competitor to services such as Spotify, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music.

Unlike its rivals, specifically Spotify, Apple Music does not offer a free ad-supported version. As Apple Music executive Oliver Schusser has stated: "As a company, we look at music as art, and we would never want to give away art for free."

History

Background and Acquisition of Beats

Apple's entry into music streaming was preceded by several strategic acquisitions. In 2009, Apple acquired Lala Media, a cloud-based music service, gaining early expertise in streaming technology. In May 2014, Apple announced its $3 billion acquisition of Beats Electronics, which included the nascent Beats Music subscription platform launched earlier that year, providing Apple with proprietary recommendation algorithms, editorial talent, and a foothold in human-curated playlists.

As part of the acquisition, Beats co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre joined Apple as executive employees. Music industry veteran Zane Lowe was also hired as a lead music curator. Beats Music CEO Ian Rogers was made responsible for overseeing both Beats Music and Apple's ad-supported iTunes Radio service.

Launch (2015)

At WWDC in June 2015, Tim Cook announced Apple Music, doing so as a "one more thing" after iOS 9 and Mac OS X El Capitan. The service debuted as an updated Music app in the iOS 8.4 update.

Apple Music launched on June 30, 2015, in over 100 countries, initially priced at $9.99/month for individuals and $14.99/month for families of up to six members, with a 3-month free trial period.

Upon its launch, Beats Music subscriptions and playlists were migrated to Apple Music, and the Beats Music service was discontinued. Beats Music formally shut down on November 30, 2015.

Prior to launch, Apple Music attracted controversy when singer-songwriter Taylor Swift wrote an open letter criticizing Apple's policy of not paying artists during the free trial period. She said the policy was "unfair" as "Apple Music will not be paying writers, producers, or artists for those months." Apple subsequently reversed the policy and agreed to pay artists during trial periods.

Expansion and Development (2016–2021)

In 2016, Apple overhauled the Apple Music interface with the release of iOS 10, significantly improving usability following criticism of the original design. In May 2016, a student membership was announced, discounting the regular subscription price by 50%.

Apple Music also moved into original video content during this period. In July 2016, Apple acquired Carpool Karaoke from The Late Late Show with James Corden, with the series premiering on Apple Music on August 8, 2017.

On August 18, 2020, Beats 1 was rebranded as Apple Music 1, coinciding with the introduction of two additional stations: Apple Music Hits, focusing on popular tracks from the 1980s to early 2000s, and Apple Music Country, dedicated to contemporary and emerging country music.

Pricing Changes (2022)

On October 24, 2022, Apple announced price increases across standard Apple Music subscriptions. The Individual plan increased $1 to $10.99/month, the Family plan increased $2 to $16.99/month, and the Annual plan increased $10 to $109/year.

On September 22, 2022, Apple announced a multi-year deal with the NFL to have Apple Music become the main sponsor of the Super Bowl halftime show beginning with Super Bowl LVII.

10th Anniversary and Record Growth (2025)

Apple Music had its best year ever in 2025, breaking records across both listenership and new subscribers. The service marked its 10-year anniversary with its biggest product feature release since launch and the opening of a brand new state-of-the-art studio, while also expanding its reach beyond the Apple ecosystem.

As of August 2025, Apple Music had 94 million subscribers. Industry analysts estimate the service crossed 100 million subscribers at some point during 2025, though Apple has not officially confirmed this figure.

Features

Music Library

Apple Music provides on-demand access to a catalog of over 100 million songs. Users can stream music, download tracks for offline listening, and integrate their personal iTunes library with the streaming catalog.

Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio

Apple Music supports lossless audio streaming and Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, offering an immersive, high-fidelity listening experience on compatible devices.

Internet Radio

Apple Music runs the free internet radio stations Apple Music 1, Apple Music Hits, Apple Music Country, Apple Música Uno, Apple Music Club, and Apple Music Chill, which are broadcast live 24 hours a day. These stations feature live DJ-hosted programming from studios in Los Angeles, New York, and London.

Apple Music Classical

Apple Music Classical is a dedicated app for classical music, offering a specialized catalog and search experience tailored to the unique conventions of classical repertoire, such as searching by composer, conductor, or ensemble.

Apple Music Sing

Apple Music Sing is a karaoke-style feature that allows users to follow along with real-time lyrics on screen. Users can turn their iPhone into a microphone that amplifies their voice through the TV, and utilize Continuity Camera to appear onscreen alongside lyrics and visual effects.

Curated Playlists

Apple Music emphasizes human curation alongside algorithmic recommendations, offering thousands of playlists created by music editors across genres and moods.

Apple Music Replay

Apple Music Replay is a personalized year-in-review feature, similar to Spotify Wrapped, that compiles a user's most-played songs, artists, albums, and listening statistics over the course of the year. Monthly updates are also available throughout the year.

AutoMix

AutoMix introduced seamless transitions between tracks, turning playlists into continuous, DJ-like sessions.

Playlist Import

In 2025, Apple Music added a music transfer tool that allows users to import playlists from other services such as Spotify and YouTube Music, in partnership with the third-party service SongShift.

AI-Generated Playlists

In February 2026, Apple Music introduced AI-generated playlists based on specific prompts like genre or mood.

Shazam Integration

Apple acquired music recognition service Shazam in 2018, integrating it closely with Apple Music. Shazam averaged more than one billion recognitions per month in 2025.

Subscription Plans

Apple Music offers several subscription tiers:

Voice Plan — A stripped-down tier optimized for Siri-enabled devices such as HomePod, priced at $4.99/month. Does not include offline downloads or full library browsing.
Student Plan — Available to eligible students at a discounted rate of $5.99/month.
Individual Plan — Full access for a single user at $10.99/month or $109/year.
Family Plan — Full access for up to six family members at $16.99/month.
Apple One — A bundle that includes Apple Music alongside other Apple services such as Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and iCloud+.

Platform Availability

The service integrates seamlessly with Apple's ecosystem, including iOS, macOS, and HomePod devices, while also supporting Android, smart TVs, and gaming consoles through dedicated apps. On October 12, 2022, Apple Music became available for the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

Criticism

Apple Music Connect

Apple Music launched in 2015 with a social networking feature called Apple Music Connect, designed to allow artists to share posts directly with fans. The feature was widely considered a failure and was quietly abandoned and removed in 2019.

Pricing Transparency

Some users and commentators have noted that Apple's multiple subscription tiers and periodic price increases make it difficult to track the true cost of the service over time.

Artist Compensation

Apple Music's launch was met with criticism from artists and independent labels over its initial policy of not paying royalties during the free trial period, a policy that was reversed following Taylor Swift's public letter in 2015.

Competition

Apple Music competes primarily with:

Spotify — The world's largest music streaming service, with approximately 281 million paid subscribers as of late 2025.
YouTube Music — Google's music streaming service, which surpassed 125 million subscribers in March 2025.
Amazon Music — Amazon's streaming service, bundled with Amazon Prime.
Tidal — A streaming service focused on high-fidelity audio and artist ownership.

External Links