Apple's Music Payoff: Later Than Sooner

Analysts predict Apple's revenue at $232 billion this fiscal year, according to the Financial Times. If Apple had Spotify's 20 million subscribers, revenue per 12 months would be just $1.92 billion, or 0.8 percent of Apple's annual revenue. To put that in comparison, if Apple weighed 195 pounds -- the average weight of an American male -- Apple Music would weigh just 1.6 pounds, or about the same weight as the original iPad.

But, according to Billboard,  there could be a financial payoff down the road. Apple is investing in the iTunes brand and trying to stay relevant in digital media. The iTunes Music Store is losing steam and streaming is both the present and future of entertainment. Moreover, what Apple does now influences the company's performance down the road. iTunes is a "key ingredient" to Apple's continued success, as Daniel Ives, managing director and senior analyst at FBR Capital Markets, told CNBC.