Apple Music has secured a new partnership with China Mobile, the largest wireless carrier in China with over 1 billion mobile customers. This deal will allow China Mobile users to subscribe to Apple Music directly through the China Mobile app or its retail outlets.
“Apple Music is all about the love of music, and we’re committed to bringing that love to as many people as possible,” said Wang Gang, General Manager of China Mobile’s digital content platform, Migu, in a statement on October 18. He expressed excitement about expanding Apple Music’s reach in China and hinted at future collaborations combining Apple Music and China Mobile products.
China Mobile, largely owned by the Chinese government, is the world’s largest telecom operator in terms of paying users. This new deal could boost Apple Music’s influence in China, where it has so far struggled to compete with local music streaming giants.
Tencent Music Entertainment (TME) dominates the Chinese market with its streaming platformsQ, Q Music, Kugou, Kuwo, and the karaoke app WeSing, serving 117 million paying users and 571 million monthly active users. Another key player, NetEase Cloud Music, has 41.8 million paying subscribers. China Mobile’s Migu Music service, though not broken down in earnings reports, is said to have 130 million paying users.
Apple Music’s main competitor, Spotify, has stayed out of China, likely due to its investment partnership with Tencent Music. However, Apple Music faces challenges in the Chinese market, including censorship of foreign music and a limited song collection.
While Apple Music lacks some features in China, such as podcasts and radio, it has recently introduced Apple Music Classical to close that gap. Despite the challenges, Apple Music stands out as the only Western music streaming service operating in China, strengthened by a partnership with Douyin (TikTok’s Chinese counterpart).
