Survey Reveals Apple Music Users Are Not Sticking With The Streaming Service

THE COMPANY SAYS THEIR RETENTION RATE IS STILL HIGH

(AllHipHop News) The music streaming wars died down a bit in recent weeks as consumers and competitors watched to see how the new Apple Music would impact the marketplace. The tech giant launched their own streaming service in June, offering a free 3-month trial period. According to a new survey by MusicWatch, nearly half of the users have already dumped Apple Music.

[ALSO READ: Apple Officially Set To Launch Music Streaming Service To Take On Spotify & Tidal]

The music research company surveyed 5,000 US consumers about Apple Music. The data shows 48% of those questioned no longer use the service. While 77% of iOS users are aware of the streaming application, only 11% have even tried Apple Music. 61% reported they already turned off the auto-renewal option.

“In terms of benchmarking Apple Music, 40 percent of iOS users are buying digital downloads from iTunes, suggesting trial of Apple Music could be higher,” said Russ Crupnick, managing partner of MusicWatch. “That’s the disadvantage of not being the first mover in a market where very good services currently exist.”

Apple Music arrived after other streaming platforms such as Spotify, Pandora, Rdio, and Tidal were established. The battle for control of subscribers has included accusations of sabotage and lucrative exclusivity deals with artists.

Dr. Dre’s latest album Compton: A Soundtrack was released only on Apple Music and iTunes for the first two weeks. Some observers believe the LP’s omission from other services hurt the project’s sales and chart position. Compton opened at #2 on the Billboard 200 with 295,000 sales plus streaming units.

Apple released a statement to The Verge, claiming 79 percent of users that signed up for Apple Music are still using the service. But the Music Watch survey does offer insight into the public’s perception of Apple Music.

[ALSO READ: Prince Defends Jay Z’s Tidal, Calls Record Contracts Slavery]