Apple Music expands into 52 (52!) new markets, upping presence in Africa and beyond

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Starting today (April 21), Apple Music has landed in 52 additional countries.

The roll-out of the streaming platform means that Apple Music is now available in 167 markets in total. That’s more than double the number of countries in which Spotify operates – 79 – as reported in the Swedish service’s annual results at the close of last year.

Apple‘s move comes as part of a global expansion of the company’s most popular services, with the App Store, Apple Arcade and iCloud available in 20 more territories from today.

Meanwhile, Apple Music’s in-house ‘radio’ station, Beats 1, will now broadcast in seven Middle Eastern countries – Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Bahrain – bringing a live global listening experience from studios in Los Angeles, New York, London and Nashville.

“We’re delighted to bring many of Apple’s most beloved Services to users in more countries than ever before,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and International Content. “We hope our customers can discover their new favorite apps, games, music and podcasts as we continue to celebrate the world’s best creators, artists and developers.”

New Apple Music subscribers in the 52 additional countries can enjoy a six-month free trial of the service, with locally curated playlists including Africa Now, Afrobeats Hits, Ghana Bounce and more.

“We’re delighted to bring many of Apple’s most beloved Services to users in more countries than ever before.”

Oliver Schusser, Apple

Apple Music’s pricing in the new territories ranges from USD $2.99 per month in markets like Angola, Cameroon and Zambia to $10.99 per month in Iceland.

The App Store, Apple Arcade, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and iCloud are now available in the following countries and regions:

  • Africa: Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Libya, Morocco, Rwanda and Zambia.
  • Asia-Pacific: Maldives and Myanmar.
  • Europe: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia.
  • Middle East: Afghanistan (excluding Apple Music) and Iraq.
  • Oceania: Nauru (excluding Apple Music), Tonga and Vanuatu.

Apple Music, with its catalog of 60m tracks, is also expanding to the following countries and regions:

  • Africa: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Chad, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Tunisia.
  • Asia-Pacific: Bhutan.
  • Europe: Croatia, Iceland and North Macedonia.
  • Latin America and the Caribbean: the Bahamas, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Turks and Caicos and Uruguay.
  • Middle East: Kuwait, Qatar and Yemen.
  • Oceania: Solomon Islands.

Apple Podcasts, which now features over a million shows in more than 100 languages, is available in 175 countries and regions.

Apple reportedly completed new global licensing deals with the three major record companies – Universal, Sony and Warner – in Q1 2020, which presumably covered Apple Music’s new territories.

Estimates suggest that Apple Music ended 2019 with around 68 million paying subscribers worldwide.Music Business Worldwide

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