Apple Music hits a rough note as 48pc tune out of its service
DELHI: Looks like Apple Music has hit a rough note. Despite the fact that it is free of cost for the first three months, 48% of people who tried Apple Music are not using the service anymore, according to the latest research conducted by MusicWatch.
The company that provides analytics data for the music industry revealed this in its MusicWatch second-quarter report released in August 2015. The study measured trial, awareness and use of Apple Music across a representative sample of US consumers. According to the report, nearly two-thirds (64%) of current users said that they were extremely or very likely to pay to subscribe to Apple Music after their free trials end. On the other hand, 61% reported that they had already turned off the auto-renewal option in their iTunes account settings.
In other findings, 77% of Apple's iOS users in the US are aware of Apple Music, and 11% reported they are currently using Apple Music. The usage level is similar among consumers who purchase music from iTunes or use iTunes to manage their music collections. Among users of iTunes Radio, Apple's earlier music streaming service, 18% were listening to Apple Music. Launched on 30 June, Apple Music was aimed at luring away music lovers from competitors like Spotify and Pandora, but MusicWatch's report shows that only 11% of Spotify free users and a meagre 6% of Pandora users have given Apple Music a shot.
"In terms of benchmarking Apple Music, 40% of iOS users are buying digital downloads from iTunes, suggesting trial of Apple Music could be higher," said Russ Crupnick, managing partner of MusicWatch, in the company's press release. "That's the disadvantage of not being the first mover in a market where very good services currently exist." Out of those surveyed, only a small percentage said they had stopped using their online radio, audio on-demand or video streaming services, as a result of using Apple Music. The service is potentially having a positive effect on music sales, as one-third of current Apple Music users said they had been encouraged to start buying digital tracks and albums, or to buy more, as a result of using Apple Music. Very few of the users surveyed claimed to have stopped buying downloads altogether. Apple Music's live radio station Beats 1 is being used by 30% of Apple Music streamers, while Connect, which lets artists share news, songs, photos and videos with subscribed fans, has 27% usage. The report couldn't have been more ill-timed, coming as it does close on the heels of Apple's announcement that the Music service now boasts of more than 11 million customers.