Apple Music Joins The Global Charts Club

Spotify has been publishing global charts for years. Apple Music finally catches up on the global country-by-country charts.

Apple Music is bringing Top 100 charts to its service today, showcasing both country-based charts and the top songs globally. Apple will add 116 charts to the service today for users on iOS 12 beta and macOS Mojave beta, all of which can be found under Top Charts in the Browse section of the app. Rolling Stone first reported the update.

Why charts?

Rolling Stone’s report indicates the release of these charts is due to growing importance of streaming numbers. Artists and their managers as well as labels and scouts tend to reference top streaming charts in the hunt for new talent, it says. And the industry has adapted, too, by more heavily weighting paid streaming over free. On that front, Apple Music’s dominance in North America means its numbers, in particular, are important to track. Apple Music, now with 50 million paid subscribers worldwide, is currently ahead of Spotify in the North American market, according to comments made by CEO Tim Cook on the latest earnings call.

“We took the leadership position in North America during the quarter and we have the leadership position in Japan, and in some of the markets that we’ve been in for a long period of time.”

Daily Updates

Every country Apple Music operates in will have charts detailing the most popular songs in that region, but availability to access all of those charts may vary depending on your location, according to Apple. Users will be able to add charts to their libraries, and they can also download them. The Top 100 charts, which are based solely on Apple Music streams, will update daily at 12AM PT.

Android Users

Android users, don’t fret: the company says an upcoming update to the Apple Music app on Android will bring charts to the platform. (It will also be available on tvOS 12.) The Top 100 charts should be rolling out today as part of an update for iOS 12 and macOS Mojave beta testers.

vs Spotify

Spotify has offered these types charts for years, while Apple has only offered top charts for singles, albums, playlists, and videos, none of which could be saved to your library or downloaded. Spotify is still ahead on the worldwide stage, with 83 million paid users. However, it’s worth also pointing out that these new top charts aren’t just launching as a static section of the Apple Music app – they’re dynamic playlists. That is, Apple’s new Top Charts playlists will not be replacing the existing Top 200 Songs chart, available today. Playlists are an important battleground between the major streaming services, with Spotify focusing heavily on personalization with playlists like its flagship Discover Weekly, plus Release Radar, Daily Mixes (and a newer variation, Your Daily Car Mix), Your Summer Rewind, and Time Capsule. Apple Music, meanwhile, offers users a Favorites playlist, along with a New Music Mix, Chill Mix, and is rolling out a Friends Mix in iOS 12. The feature is available today on Apple Music.