Skip to main content

Low subscriber numbers plague Beats Music

apple to rebrand beats music and push it all ios devices report says colorful
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Roughly 100 days after Beats Music’s entry into the cutthroat music-streaming business, the service seems to be grappling with a lagging number of subscribers in the “low six figures,” according to a report by Billboard earlier this week. With Sprint nearing its debut of the “Framily” plan – the package deal resulting from a collaboration with Spotify – increased competition is on the horizon. Is it too late for Beats’ Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre to bolster the service in time to remain relevant in the music-streaming game? Its investors appear to still be on board for the long haul, but the numbers don’t paint a pretty picture.

Nearly two months ago Beats Music was able to shore up $100 million in funding aimed at product development, new feature integration, gaining new customers, and new PR moves – all in the name of taking on foes like Spotify. Less than three weeks later, the service was rumored to have snared a fairly low 28,000 subscribers in its debut month, according to “people with knowledge of the situation.” And, most recently, the fledgling music-streamer – hoping to grab more subscribers by making the service available to iOS device users – finally acquiesced and resorted to forfeiting 30 percent of every subscription fee to Apple.

Recommended Videos

Beats Music’s journey has been an uphill climb, especially considering its massive marketing launch valued in the tens of millions of dollars. Still, it seems to have no shortage of funding. According to The Verge, the company is working on another $100 million cash infusion. And while the service has gained a relatively modest number of paying subscribers since its inception, it’s worth noting that Spotify’s claimed 6 million U.S. subscribers took the company six years to amass. So the problem may not be Beats Music’s viability, but more its timing, entering late in the game into a saturated marketplace.

It’s only been around for three months, but Beats Music has a rough path ahead of it if the service wants to remain relevant and give Spotify, Rdio, TuneIn, iTunes Radio, and others a run for their money. 

Alex Tretbar
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Alex Tretbar, audio/video intern, is a writer, editor, musician, gamer and sci-fi nerd raised on EverQuest and Magic: The…
AirPods, Beats owners can get Apple Music free for 6 months
iPhone 12 with AirPods on top of MacBook.

Apple is offering six months of its Apple Music streaming service for free to owners of AirPods and select Beats products.

Eligibility for the offer covers current owners and future purchasers of the following devices: AirPods Pro, AirPods with Charging Case, AirPods with Wireless Charging Case, AirPods Max, Beats Studio Buds, Powerbeats, Powerbeats Pro, and Beats Solo Pro.

Read more
Spotify could launch its HiFi lossless audio tier any day now
Spotify app and earbud.

In February, Spotify announced its ambitions to join the increasingly popular lossless audio space with a new subscription tier called Spotify HiFi. At the time, the streaming music company was silent regarding pricing or the potential timing for the new tier's debut, but a recently spotted video suggests it could happen imminently.

Late last week, Reddit user Nickx000x posted a video to the Spotify subreddit that appears to show an introductory animation for Spotify HiFi. The video -- spotted first by WhatHiFi? -- looks like it's designed to take Spotify mobile app users through the quick process of understanding what Spotify HiFi is, how it works, and how to know if they're actually getting the higher-quality lossless audio stream on their device.

Read more
Spotify Plus might give free users unlimited track skipping for $1 per month
Screen capture of the Spotify app promoting Spotify Plus.

Spotify appears to be testing out a new paid subscription option called Spotify Plus. At just $1 per month, it's far cheaper than its $10 per month Premium plan, but as you might expect, there's a reason. Unlike the Premium plan, Spotify Plus members won't be able to avoid ads, but they will get an unlimited number of track skips. Free Spotify members are currently limited to six skips per hour.

Originally reported by The Verge, Spotify Plus members will also get the ability to directly access tracks from a given album, another feature that free users don't get. Digital Trends reached out to Spotify to confirm these details, but the streaming company wouldn't entirely commit. "We're always working to enhance the Spotify experience and we routinely conduct tests to inform our decisions," a Spotify spokesperson told us via email. "We’re currently conducting a test of an ad-supported subscription plan with a limited number of our users. Some tests end up paving the way for new offerings or enhancements while others may only provide learnings. We don’t have any additional information to share at this time."

Read more