Why Apple Music doesn’t need to be the best to succeed

[Commentary] Apple finally unveiled its new paid music streaming service. Called Apple Music, the service that will launch June 30 has a lot in common with competitors already on the market. Some of those players, like Spotify, already have a big head start. The European-based Spotify announced that it now has 20 million paying subscribers.

But Apple has something Spotify doesn't: near total control over a mobile ecosystem used by a huge segment of the market. That's a huge advantage for Apple, especially because the tech company's overall strategy is based on the idea of vertical integration: It controls the hardware, the software, the retail, major services tied to its platforms and, ultimately, the app marketplace that allows other companies to reach consumers using its products. That control doesn't mean Apple is going to stop letting other companies put their software in the App Store. But the next version of iOS, 8.4, will come with Apple Music pre-loaded -- replacing the current music app.