A recent survey from MusicWatch claims that Apple Music is having a problem in retaining its users. The music research company conducted a survey of 5,000 U.S. consumers and says that Apple Music has 52% retention rate. Apple has denied the 52 percent retention rate, stating that 79 percent of users who have signed up for Apple Music are still using the service.

MusicWatch survey that includes only 5,000 U.S. customers, states that 64 percent said they were extremely or very likely to continue paying for Apple Music once the trial period ends, though 61 percent already turned off auto-renewal features in iTunes. Perhaps most damning was a statistic claiming 48 percent of users who tried Apple Music since its debut in June had stopped using the service.

One of the primary issues about the survey is that it is only measuring U.S. consumers. Apple Music launched in over 100 countries, so measuring against one, even a market as important as the U.S., will not provide a whole picture. Additionally, the sample size for the survey was 5,000 people, less than .05% of the total Apple Music user base of 11 million people that the service gained in its first five weeks.

Apple has refuted the claim, by finally revealing some data about Apple Music. According to “The Verge”, Apple has stated that 79% of customers that have signed up for the service’s free trial are still using Apple Music, which still has a little over six weeks to go before anyone has to start paying for it.

In a statement to the The Verge, Apple has denied the 48 percent retention rate, stating that 79 percent of users who have signed up for Apple Music are still using the service.

Apple stopped short of offering in-depth statistics or analysis and it is unclear how the company defines active users. The 79 percent number also sheds no light on potential conversion rates, or those who intend to pay for Apple Music services after their trial period expires.

Only Apple knows how well Apple Music is fairing against competition, and we will only know the real situation when the first customers start paying for the Apple Music at the end of September.

Source: The Verge