Apple Music to Beat Spotify Soon?: Which Streaming Music Service is Better

In the music streaming competition, it seems that Apple Music is on its way to beat Spotify to the game. Apple Insider said that in a report, the tech giant has gone past 10 million subscribers for their service in the first six months of its release. This means that in just six months since its operation, Apple already has about half as many paid subscribers as Spotify, which, according to The Verge, could have at least 25 million paid subscribers to date.

Given its rapid growth rate, music industry analyst Mark Mulligan of Midia Research noted that Apple had "the potential to be the leading music subscription service sometime in 2017."

Tech Crunch noted that Apple has made various attempts to be competitive in digital music, and with streaming services taking away business from Apple's iTunes, the company has decided to keep a stronghold in online listening by launching Apple Music.

To start off, Apple acquired Beats Electronics for $3 billion in 2014, and shut down its music service in the fall of 2015. They launched the music streaming business last June, featuring the extensive iTunes catalog, curated playlists, Beats 1 radio, and iTunes connect as a kind of social network for artists.

Unlike Spotify, Apple does not have a free version for their service, but offered a three-month trial period in its first three months as a way of enticing subscribers, and it seems that their strategy worked.

Still, there are others that are doubtful about Apple's rise in the streaming service industry. Engadget, for instance, noted that Apple Music launched in more than 100 countries on their first day, while Spotify did not reach the US until about three years into its existence. But then again, with the constant offers for iOS device users and the Taylor Swift issue, the numbers could be real -- however, Apple may not keep up the pace.

While streaming services like Apple and Spotify are competing for the top in their game, it seems that things have turned dismal for album sales. Apple Insider noted that total sales in the US already fell 9 percent in 2014, while individual downloads have dropped to a whopping 12 percent.

Still, Apple is reportedly developing a new Hi-Res Audio Format that features an expanded 96kHz, 24-bit sampling rate for their subscribers, giving them a leverage for high fidelity audio output capabilities.

Do you think Apple Music can become the top music-streaming service by 2017, or are you more inclined to agree with those like Engadget who believe that the company could not keep up the pace?