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.
- Apple Music: How to activate translated song lyrics in iOS 26
- Is Apple Music taking up too much storage space? This will help immediately
- Here's how to create Apple Music playlists with ChatGPT
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)
- Tim Cook appears in the Epstein Files – without scandal.
- Apple TV celebrates Grammy win with F1: The Movie
- OpenAI launches Codex as a new Mac app for developers
- Apple brings surprising updates for very old systems
- Apple Music launches Bad Bunny's Road to Halftime in 2026
- Apple TV confirms season 3 of Your Friends & Neighbors
- Apple and the storage shock: Is a price increase coming?
- India is luring AI companies with tax exemption until 2047
- Apple is redesigning the Mac buying experience in the online store
- OpenAI will soon remove several models from ChatGPT
- Apple TV announces release date for Sugar Season 2
- Tim Cook believes Apple's best work is yet to come
- Apple stock in focus: JP Morgan raises price target to $325
- N2See for macOS: Control over windows on external displays
- Apple was surprised by the demand for AirPods Pro 3
- Apple explains its strategy in the face of rising RAM and SSD prices
- Tim Cook: Apple remains committed to data privacy despite Google partnership
- Apple reports 2.5 billion active devices worldwide
- Apple Q1 2026: Record revenue and strong profit growth
- Apple TV celebrates F1 as the most-watched film of all time
- Apple confirms acquisition of Q.ai for $2 billion
- The iPhone 16 will top the smartphone charts in 2025
- Apple strengthens design team with Halide co-founder
- Apple secures the rights to the Cosmere universe
