iTunes is more relevant than expected: New figures are surprising

At first glance, iTunes seems like a relic from a time before playlists and flat-rate subscriptions. Streaming services have fundamentally changed the music market, and downloads seem obsolete to many. However, a recent report shows that iTunes continues to play a significantly larger role than commonly believed.

Today's music market is clearly dominated by streaming. Nevertheless, a stable market for purchasing individual songs and albums exists in parallel. This is precisely where iTunes remains relevant. New figures from Apple indicate that the platform not only survives but is actively integrated into the strategies of labels and artists.

iTunes continues to find a market alongside streaming

In her Soundbite newsletter at Bloomberg, Ashley Carman reports that music labels are sometimes specifically tailoring their release and marketing strategies to iTunes. This alignment often occurs at the suggestion of Apple itself.

In discussions with partners, the iTunes team encourages labels to leverage the entire Apple ecosystem. This includes not only marketing to Apple Music subscribers, but also explicitly to iTunes users who purchase music instead of streaming it.

A user base with high potential

One figure stands out in particular: Over 80 percent of iTunes users don't have an Apple Music subscription. This makes them a target group that is especially interesting for labels in the first week after an album release. These users are considered potential new customers, as they either don't stream at all or use a competing service for their primary consumption. This is an aspect that Apple is likely keeping a close eye on, according to the report.

What Apple's own numbers show

An Apple spokesperson added further statistics to the report, highlighting the importance of iTunes:

Around 50 percent of iTunes customers only started buying songs via iTunes in the last ten years, i.e., after the launch of Apple Music.
Almost 50 percent of the 10,000 best-selling albums per quarter are new releases.

These figures clearly show that iTunes is not only used to rediscover old favorite songs. New music continues to sell well on the platform as well.

Key figures at a glance

Three facts stand out in the report:

Over 80 percent of iTunes users are not Apple Music subscribers. It remains unclear how many of these users rely on services from competitors.
50 percent of iTunes users only started buying songs after the launch of Apple Music.
Almost 50 percent of the 10,000 best-selling albums per quarter are new releases.

iTunes overshadowed by major streaming services

Services like Spotify and YouTube attract the majority of music listeners. Nevertheless, the report shows that there is still a solid market for iTunes.

The platform remains particularly attractive for one-off marketing campaigns, such as major releases by well-known artists like Taylor Swift. However, the report makes it clear that iTunes' potential is not limited to such isolated cases.

Apple's dual strategy

Interestingly, Apple continues to heavily invest in expanding Apple Music. Currently, the service is being promoted to new subscribers with a three-month free trial. Apple Music normally costs €10.99 per month.

Despite this focus, Apple continues to actively promote iTunes to partners in the music industry. This suggests that the company is deliberately operating both models side by side.

iTunes remains an integral part of the digital music market

iTunes is not obsolete, but remains a relevant part of the digital music market. The platform reaches a user group that is often overlooked in the streaming age, but is ready to buy and actively supports new music. The report shows that iTunes is more than just nostalgia and still plays an economically significant role today. (Image: Shutterstock / urbanbuzz)