Apple Music is owned and operated by Apple Inc., the U.S.-based technology company founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne.

Who actually “owns” Apple Music?

  • The Apple Music streaming service is a product and business unit of Apple (the parent corporation), not a separate independent company.
  • That means revenues, strategy, and IP for Apple Music are all controlled by Apple Inc.’s leadership and board.

How Apple ended up with a streaming service

  • Apple’s modern music stack grew in part out of its 2014 acquisition of Beats Electronics and its streaming service Beats Music for about 3 billion USD. Apple then folded Beats Music’s tech and expertise into what became Apple Music.
  • Beats co‑founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre joined Apple as part of that deal, but they did not “own” Apple Music; Apple retained control of the service.

Is “Apple Music” its own company?

  • “Apple Music” is primarily a service brand under Apple, similar to iCloud or Apple TV+.
  • There are some local Apple‑linked entities with “Apple Music” in the name in various countries for operational or regulatory reasons, but ultimate ownership still traces back to Apple Inc. as the parent.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.