This is according to a report from The Wall Street Journal (via MacRumors) in which Apple Music is said to be growing at 5% a month, versus Spotify who in the US market is growing at 2%. Assuming that these numbers don’t change, it could be as early as this summer that Apple could very well overtake Spotify in the US market.
Apple also confirmed to the publication that they have managed to hit 36 million paying subscribers worldwide, a growth of 6 million subscribers since their previous confirmation back in September 2017 where they were sitting at 30 million. We’re not sure what the breakdown is between iOS and Android devices, but it is clear that Apple has the distinct advantage as Apple Music more or less comes bundled with every iOS device, and it’s a matter of users choosing to subscribe.
This is versus Spotify in which users will need to make a conscious effort to download the app. However Spotify does have certain advantages as well, such as their partnerships with other companies, most recently with Discord, in which their music streaming application is available on a wider scale.