Apple Music in 113 countries. The publication further wrote that those countries accounted for 59 regions that competing service Spotify did not. In August 2016, Apple Music was launched in Israel and South Korea. In January 2016, "Fortune" reported that, six months after launching, Apple Music had reached 10 million paying subscribers, having spent six months reaching the same customer base that took competing music streaming service Spotify six years. This customer base increased to 11 million subscribers in February, 13 million in April, 15 million in June, 17 million in September, 20 million in December, 27 million in June 2017, 36
Apple Music issue later fixed. Additionally, Apple Music's use of album exclusives caused backlash and criticism from record labels, prompting the company to scale back its exclusivity efforts. Apple Music rapidly gained popularity after its launch, passing the milestone of 10 million subscribers after only six months. There were 56 million subscribers as of December 2018. Apple Music lets users select music to stream to their device on demand. They can also listen to playlists curated by "music experts". Beats 1, the service's 24-hour radio station led by DJ Zane Lowe, broadcasts in over 100 countries. This service is free for all