Rhapsody and Napster have more than 2.5m paid subscribers

Rhapsody and its Napster brand have experienced the fastest growth period in its thirteen year history, spiking its paid subscriber number up to 2.5 million globally.

The growth is fueled by its partnerships with wireless providers and auto manufacturers like Telefonica, SFR, Vodafone, WIND Italy, and Audi, as well as the launch of new internet radio products like the T-Mobile-introduced Rhapsody unRadio. Rhapsody unRadio subscriptions spiked to 67% over Christmas, a pace that continues in the first quarter.

The service boasted 2 million global subscribers last June, which paces annual subscriber growth at 60%.

Rhapsody's customer base are predominantly using the mobile app with 88% exclusively listening on their mobile device - that's up 19% from a year ago. The company has also said their users listen to 5 million hours of music a week.

Ethan Rudin, chief financial officer of Rhapsody International said in a statement: “Last year was a breakthrough year and it’s clear that streaming is here to stay. 2015 will be about showing the influence that streaming has in this new music industry, now that the average music lover understands what it means to have unlimited on-demand music in their pocket."

Rhapsody purchased Napster from Best Buy in 2011; it's available in 30 countries across the US, Europe and Latin America and unlike market competitors it doesn't have a free tier.

In December Rhapsody released its year-end data report, which showed its subscribers contributed $750 million that year or $65 each in paid royalties - an average that's lower than that paid by popular services in Australia and in the US.