Apple Music: A Challenging Road Ahead

The music streaming wars are well underway and you could be forgiven for being unsure if Apple Music is in fact the success that they would like us all to believe. A few days back, MusicWatch disclosed a report that suggests that only one in ten iOS users listen to music on the new service. 48% of the music lovers who had signed up to the Apple Music trial no longer use the service, prompting many to debate the number of people that might continue with Apple Music beyond the free trial in September.

Apple’s PR team quickly went on the offensive providing much more positive figures and insisting that 79% of their subscribers have continued to use the service. Looking at both sides of the argument it seems to me that in this instance you can make stats say whatever you like.

Meanwhile, Apple's Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue, previously disclosed that 11 million people were actively using Apple Music.  2 million of these were signed up for the family plan at $15 a month that offers greater value over its rivals by covering six family members.

The Apple Music membership is infamously set to automatically enroll users on September 30th and fully expects a few unsuspecting consumers to complain on social media when they discover the new payment in their bank statements. Could this simple automatic renewal feature bring further negative publicity to Apple if it angers users?

Despite building a reputation for simplifying technology, even tech journalists have found themselves struggling with the confusing layouts. If techies are unsure what hope do the rest of us have in figuring out the difference between Apple Music, iTunes Match and iCloud Music Library when Apple itself neglects to explain its music ecosystem coherently. According to the Wall Street Journal:

“organized into five tabs, it’s so crammed with items, lists and menus that it’s hard to find things initially, harder still to remember where they are later. Seriously, it’s like Russian nesting dolls: menus within menus within menus”

This should have been the celebratory period for Apple, where everyone enjoys unlimited free music streaming. But it seems some have already returned to services such as Spotify, who have been waiting in the wings with good old fashioned familiarity.

Apple is rumoured to be aiming for an ambitious target of 100 million subscribers. Only securing 11 million during a free trial could be an early indicator of problems on the road ahead and I wonder how many existing subscribers will remain when the direct debit kicks in next month.

It would be absurd to predict the demise of Apple Music a mere two months into its official launch, however, the days when everything Apple touches turns to gold could be about to change. With an increasing number of options in music streaming available to consumers, perhaps this was not the walk in the park that Apple might have expected.

However, there is a fiercely loyal fan base who will not tolerate any form of criticism aimed in the direction of Apple. They will quickly point out that a survey of 5,000 people is far from an accurate reflection of the number of people that might be using what they see as a far superior service.

The success of Apple has always been at mastering the art of simplicity and creating cutting edge technology that anyone can use, regardless of their age or technical knowledge. The big question is

Will the casual users who have the power to make Apple Music a success, vote with their wallet on September 30?

Have you tried Apple Music? Will you continue with the service after September 30?

Anurag Harsh [other articles] is a founding exec of Ziff Davis (NASDAQ: JCOM), the world's largest tech & gaming digital corp. He graduated (MBA/MS) from Wharton & MIT, has performed two sold out solo concerts at Carnegie Hall and co-authored the McGraw-Hill bestseller “M-Commerce Security”. Follow him on LinkedIn or Twitter @anuragharsh