Boardroom explores how Spotify is out-innovating Apple Music by building a creator-first platform, while Apple leans on ecosystem dominance.
When it comes to streaming music in 2025, two platforms dominate the conversation: Spotify and Apple Music.
Each boasts tens of millions of subscribers, endless libraries, algorithm-driven recommendations, and access to any song you can think of. But while they may appear similar on the surface, the paths they’ve taken–and what they offer creators and listeners–reveal two very different strategies. One platform is taking big swings to build a sprawling content empire. The other is simply leaning into its built-in advantage.
Let’s dive into it.
Let’s get one thing out of the way: Spotify is, by far, the superior platform in terms of features, flexibility, and vision. It’s a place where music discovery meets podcast culture, where audiobooks are gaining traction, and where artists can build full-fledged multimedia experiences. Spotify is not just a music app — it’s an entertainment ecosystem in the making. Apple Music, on the other hand, is good because it’s Apple. It wins by default for many iPhone users, not necessarily by innovation.
That might sound harsh, but the numbers don’t lie. As of 2024, Apple Music held a slight edge in U.S. subscribers, primarily due to its seamless integration with every iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It’s the default player, synced with Siri, paired with AirPods, and preloaded on every Apple device. In the same way Android can’t quite break Apple’s grip on premium smartphone users, Spotify often finds itself fighting against the sheer convenience of Apple Music.
But convenience alone doesn’t make a platform compelling.
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Spotify, under the leadership of CEO Daniel Ek, has evolved beyond its music streaming roots. It’s taken big, sometimes controversial, swings. The company invested billions into podcasts, acquiring major studios like Gimlet and The Ringer, and was the first to strike exclusivity deals with the likes of Joe Rogan and Alex Cooper. Spotify is now home to a growing wave of video podcasts, creator tools, and live audio experiences, spanning far beyond its music offerings.
Spotify is also making a strategic push into audiobooks. In 2023, it launched a premium audiobook catalog for paid subscribers, granting access to a rotating selection of titles each month. This move pits Spotify not just against Apple Music, but also against Audible and Kindle, positioning it as the ultimate listening destination, regardless of the content type.
Meanwhile, Apple Music has stayed in its lane. Sure, it has exclusive releases now and then–Beyoncé’s Lemonade famously lived on Apple Music for a time, and it integrates beautifully with the Apple ecosystem. It’s clean, curated, and dependable. But Apple hasn’t matched Spotify’s experimentation with creator monetization, video content, or interactivity. Apple Music feels like a digital version of the old iTunes library model: vast, premium, but ultimately closed off.
This brings us to a deeper point about philosophy. Spotify is building a platform; Apple is maintaining a product.
For creators, this distinction matters. Spotify offers tools like Spotify for Artists, which allows musicians to track data, promote releases, and sell merchandise or tickets directly through the app. Podcast hosts can monetize shows through subscriptions, ads, and partnerships.
Apple, by contrast, offers fewer options for creative control or monetization. It still relies heavily on editorial curation, which has its benefits — Apple Music’s playlists and genre-based stations are tastefully done. But they don’t offer the same transparency or user influence. It’s a top-down model in an era where creators want to meet their audiences halfway.
That said, if Apple were to integrate Apple Books and Apple Podcasts directly into Apple Music — folding its listening and reading experiences into a unified platform — the conversation could shift. With its expansive audiobook library, chart-topping podcast roster, and sheer market dominance, Apple has all the ingredients to build a true Spotify competitor. However, those experiences are currently siloed. You have to hop between three separate apps to do what Spotify is enabling in one place. If Apple takes the leap and creates an all-in-one listening hub, then we’ll be talking about a true head-to-head showdown.
Still, Apple Music remains a massive player as it stands. Why? Because Apple doesn’t need to build buzz, it already has the user base. Music fans who grew up using iTunes and later migrated to Apple Music don’t necessarily want a multi-platform creator experience. They simply want their songs to play uninterrupted. Apple delivers that with elegance, but arguably without imagination.
This debate isn’t new; it mirrors the larger Apple vs. Android conversation. Android phones often boast more customizable features, open ecosystems, and flexible integrations, while iPhones thrive on user loyalty and ecosystem convenience. Spotify is Android in this analogy: ambitious, innovative, open to experimentation. Apple Music is iPhone — polished and content to serve its enormous base without chasing bells and whistles.
But here’s the kicker: Spotify’s risks are starting to pay off. The platform is gaining traction with Gen Z, who prefer its discovery tools, social features, and algorithmic magic. Its experiments with AI DJs, mood-based playlists, and creator content keep it culturally relevant. Apple Music may dominate on devices, but Spotify owns the vibe.
Ultimately, the battle between Spotify and Apple Music isn’t just about songs or user interface design. It’s about what kind of future we want for audio. Do we want an all-in-one audio hub where music, podcasts, and audiobooks live under one roof, powered by creator-first tools? Or do we want a clean, premium library that plays nicely with our gadgets?
For me, the answer is clear. Spotify is betting on the future of listening, and actually building it. Apple, for all its elegance, is coasting on legacy.
And as we’ve seen before — from Napster to LimeWire to iTunes — legacy only lasts so long.
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