Apple always promoted its music business to get more from its users, but this time the company is trying to cater to a different crowd with it. The Cupertino, Calif.-based firm released a test version of its music streaming service for Android on Tuesday.
Apple Music on most popular OS
Android runs on the majority of mobile devices globally. Apple’s only other Android app help users switch from an Android device to an Apple one. While speaking to Mashable, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet software and services, Eddy Cue, said, “From the beginning with Apple Music, our goal was for everyone to use it.”
Apple’s new Android app opens a new world of potential customers for the service. The catalog is comprised of millions of songs, and members are required to pay a monthly fee of $10 to stream as much music as they want. The challenge ahead for Apple is to understand a group of unfamiliar consumers. Cue, in the interview, acknowledged that the company is not an expert on Android users. Android users will also be eligible for a three-month free trial. Apple Music for Android is in the beta phase at present, and people can see the music they purchased through the iTunes store in the app.
Hope to become a vital part of users’ lives
With Apple Music, the company did several things for the first time. Apple’s music service is built on Beats Electronics, which is Apple’s biggest acquisition ever for $3 billion. After several years of resistance, the company introduced a subscription music model.
Apple hopes to extend into more facets of its users’ lives, and this new Android app is an example of this. Apple generated nearly 63% of its revenue from iPhones in the latest quarter but believes it will be able to become a more integral part of more consumers’ day-to-day life with the help of services such as Apple Music.
Last month, CEO Tim Cook informed investors that since the launch of the service in June, 6.5 million people signed up as paying members. Spotify, a rival music service, has 25 million paid members.
