Wesley Verhoeve

Every time I am told what the most recent update is on the number of people still paying for AOL’s dial-up internet access my mind gets blown all over again. Dan Frommer from Splatf notes:

[...] did you know that AOL still has 3 million dialup “access” subscribers — generating a third of the company’s revenue and likely most of its profit? That might be more paying U.S. subscribers than Spotify and Hulu Plus have combined.

I can actually confirm that it’s not only more US subscribers than Spotify and Hulu Plus have combined, it’s actually also more than all paying Spotify and Rdio subscribers combined WORLD WIDE. That’s right, more Americans still pay for dial-up internet, than world citizens pay for music streaming for the two services with the highest brand recognition. Rhapsody, the streaming service that no one talks about, actually has more subscribers than Spotify and Rdio combined too, but not nearly in the same magnitude as AOL Access does. We’re talking several multiples here. Something to think about for those of us, myself included, we live in the tech savvy bubble of our choosing where this just seems far removed from our own reality.6 Comments | Music Business | | 07.26.12.