While it may still have a way to go, Apple Music has officially reached the 50 million benchmark figure for users in a mix of both paid subscribers and those testing the app out through free trials. According to CEO Tim Cook, who spoke with Bloomberg Television on Tuesday, the figure is a jump of 10 million from last month when it pushed to 40 million after the acquisition of 8 million users through free trials alone.
Apple still finds itself lagging behind top competitor Spotify, which has 75 million users through its paid subscription service alone. Cook did not reveal how many of Apple’s 50 million users are actually paying or free trial listeners.
Apple Music has tried to keep up the pace through the offering of exclusive content, including documentaries and programming through its Beats 1 Radio, and according to Cook, the brand will continue to look toward content development to acquire more users for Apple Music, and Apple overall.
"We are very interested in the content business," Cook told Bloomberg TV. "We will be playing in a way that is consistent with our brand. We're not ready to give any details on it yet. But it's clearly an area of interest."
Recently, Apple brought in Sony Pictures Television’s Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht to head up its newest worldwide video programming division to get the ball rolling on such plans and cultivate a larger presence in the video-on-demand streaming arena.
