Apple Music UK Statistics: 6.2M Subscribers, From 5.99

How big Apple Music really is

1. Nearly 100 million paying subscribers

Apple rarely shares official subscriber counts. Industry estimates put Apple Music at about 98 million paying subscribers by the end of 2024, with the service likely crossing 100 million in 2025.¹

2. Number three globally

That puts Apple Music behind Spotify and China's Tencent Music in the worldwide ranking. Its growth in 2024 was notably slower than Spotify's.²

3. Around 12 to 15% of the global market

Measured by paid streaming subscriptions, Apple Music holds roughly one eighth of the world market.³

Apple Music in the UK

4. About 6.2 million UK subscribers

MIDiA Research put Apple Music at roughly 6.2 million paying subscribers in the United Kingdom at the end of 2024, well behind the two market leaders.⁴

5. Third in the UK, behind Spotify and Amazon

In Britain the running order is unusual: Spotify dominates with about 15.3 million subscribers and 47.1% share, Amazon Music sits second on 8.7 million, and Apple Music is third. YouTube Music is the fastest grower, taking share at Amazon and Apple's expense.⁵

6. UK is the sixth largest subscriber market

The United Kingdom is the world's sixth largest music subscriber market, after being overtaken by Brazil in 2024. Overall subscriber growth has been slowing every year since 2018.⁶

7. iPhone halo: roughly 49% UK smartphone share

Apple's hardware dominance in Britain gives Apple Music a built-in audience. iPhones have held the top spot in UK smartphone share for more than a decade and were sitting near 49% of mobile vendor share in late 2025.⁷

8. Estimated 2024 revenue around 7.8 billion pounds

Apple does not break out Apple Music in its filings. Industry analysts estimate the service generated about 10 billion dollars (roughly 7.8 billion pounds) in revenue in 2024.⁸

9. Over 100 million songs in the catalogue

Apple Music hit the 100 million song milestone in October 2022 and has continued to grow with roughly 20,000 new tracks delivered every day. The full catalogue is available in lossless quality.⁹

What Apple Music actually pays

10. About one penny per stream

Apple Music pays roughly one US cent (about 0.8p at current rates) per stream on average, about three times what Spotify pays. The higher rate is one reason artists often praise the platform.¹⁰

11. 6.20 dollars per 1,000 streams in 2024

An independent 2024 analysis by Duetti put Apple Music at 6.20 dollars per 1,000 streams, more than double Spotify's 3.00 dollars and second only to Amazon Music among major services.¹¹

12. Around 6% of Apple Services revenue

Big as Apple Music looks on its own, it is only one slice of Apple's enormous Services business. Estimates put it at roughly 6% of that segment.¹²

13. UK paid subscriptions worth 875.5 million pounds in 2024

According to the BPI, paid subscriptions to Spotify, Apple, Amazon, and others contributed 875.5 million pounds to UK trade revenue in 2024, up 5.9% year on year. Subscriptions now account for more than 86% of the UK streaming market.¹³

UK pricing and plans

14. No free, ad-supported tier

Unlike Spotify, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music, Apple Music has never offered a permanent free tier. Apple executives have publicly defended that choice, calling free tiers a "terrible idea."¹⁴

15. Individual plan: 10.99 pounds per month

The standard UK Individual plan costs 10.99 pounds per month, or about 132 pounds per year, with full access to the entire catalogue ad-free.¹⁵

16. Family plan: 16.99 pounds for up to six people

The Family plan is 16.99 pounds per month and supports up to six people, each with their own library and personalised recommendations.¹⁶

17. Student plan: 5.99 pounds plus Apple TV+

Verified university students pay 5.99 pounds per month, and currently also get Apple TV+ included at no extra cost while they qualify.¹⁷

18. Apple One bundle from 18.95 pounds

Apple Music is also part of the Apple One bundle, which starts at 18.95 pounds per month for the Individual tier and includes Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 50 GB of iCloud+ storage. The Family tier is 24.95 pounds and Premier is 36.95 pounds.¹⁸

19. One month free for new subscribers

New users typically get one month free, with longer three-month trials available when buying eligible AirPods, HomePods, or Beats headphones.¹⁹

From Beats to streaming powerhouse

20. Launched 30 June 2015

Apple Music went live on 30 June 2015, a full seven years after Spotify, debuting in more than 100 countries on day one.²⁰

21. Apple Music 1 launched with Zane Lowe

The companion 24/7 radio station, originally called Beats 1 and now Apple Music 1, launched on the same day with a marquee signing: ex-BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe, who left the BBC in March 2015 to head up programming from Los Angeles.²¹

22. Built on a 3 billion dollar Beats deal

The foundation was Apple's 2014 acquisition of Beats Electronics for 3 billion dollars, which brought in both the Beats Music streaming service and executives Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre.²²

23. Lossless and Spatial Audio in 2021

In June 2021 Apple added lossless audio and Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos to the entire catalogue, both at no extra cost, undercutting paid hi-fi tiers from competitors.²³

24. Apple Music Classical launched in 2023

Apple released the standalone Apple Music Classical app on 28 March 2023, built on its earlier acquisition of Dutch classical specialist Primephonic and included with most Apple Music plans.²⁴

25. Most-streamed song of 2024: "Not Like Us"

Apple Music's global Song of the Year for 2024 was Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us," which spent six weeks at the top of the Daily Top 100 after its May release. Apple Music also publishes a dedicated UK Top 100 Songs chart updated daily.²⁵