Apple Music has reached 38 million subscribers, a gain of 2 million in just over a month, the company’s SVP Eddy Cue said during a chat with CNN’s Dylan Byers at the South by Southwest Conference on Monday, according to 9to5Mac.
The announcement solidifies the company’s ranking as the No. 2 streaming service behind Spotify, which has 71 million subscribers and 159 million active users, according to its filing last month to become a publicly traded company.
“The opportunity here is about growth for us and growth for everyone,” Cue said, adding that a huge gap exists between the number of people who can afford to pay for music services and those who do.
He also worked in a plug about Rihanna’s recent passing of the 2 billion-stream mark on Apple Music, which was heavily touted over the weekend. “I’m a huge fan of her songs. I don’t think she’s a Warriors fan,” Cue said, jokingly referring to a 2017 incident in which he seemed to yell at the singer to sit down during the Golden State Warriors’ NBA championship game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, for whom Rihanna was cheering.
The interview, which was largely about media curation, took place shortly after the company announced its plans to acquire the digital magazine subscription service Texture.
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