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iTunes Radio beats Spotify to take 3rd place in U.S. music streaming, eyes up #2 spot

iTunes Radio, launched alongside iOS 7 six months ago, has now overtaken Spotify to become the third most popular music streaming service in America – and looks set to take second place within the next quarter or two.

Reporting on listening data compiled by Edison ResearchElectronista estimates that iTunes Radio’s 8 percent market share gives it around 20M listeners, and says that it is the fastest-growing of the top three services … 

That figure would suggest that iTunes Radio is growing at the fastest rate of the top three services, and is likely to overtake iHeartRadio in the next quarter or two — particularly if iTunes Radio expands to more countries

Australia was added last month, with Canada, New Zealand and the UK expected to be next in line. There have been sporadic instances of the service appearing in both Canada and the UK, but these are believed to be accidents rather than early roll-out.

While Steve Jobs said back in 2007 that people like to own their music, rejecting a streaming music model at that time, seven years later we look to be moving into an age where streaming is taking over from downloads. Billboard magazine revealed in December that music downloads appeared to have started to decline. It has also been suggested that we’re perhaps listening to less music as apps take more of our time.

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Comments

  1. Tim Baker (@IAmTimBaker) - 10 years ago

    Does anyone know if this research is looking only at Spotify’s radio feature or Spotify’s overall usage? I find it hard to believe that more people are using iTunes Radio than using Spotify for on-demand streaming.

    • Jonny - 10 years ago

      I think it’s neither, it’s people filling out surveys and saying what they use (as opposed to using actual data from the services). The questions in the survey (from reading the source link) seem like they’re saying that they asked which online audio service they listened to. I would expect the respondents would say “Spotify” regardless of if it was on-demand or radio but the results don’t specify that.

  2. Jamie Aquila - 10 years ago

    This reminded me to cancel my Pandora account. Cheers.

  3. Gregory Wright - 10 years ago

    Can’t say anything about iTunes Radio because I have not used it due to the fact Spotify is fantastic.

    • Sam E. Lawrence - 10 years ago

      Have you tried Rdio? It’s superior IMO. Very sad to not see it on this list.

      • Gregory Wright - 10 years ago

        Nope, I’ve heard of Rdio but have not tried. Call me stupid but I subscribe to Spotify. I’m very happy with the entire package.

      • Sam E. Lawrence - 10 years ago

        They’re both approximate services, but I prefer the visual design of Rdio. Give it a try for free, and see how you like it.

  4. zBrain (@joeregular) - 10 years ago

    i still want to own my music. i use iTunes radio. but not knowing what music is coming up next is a problem for me…

  5. Chase (@chaseappich) - 10 years ago

    How is Rdio not on this? Best music discovery tools and ui out there. This data seems weak as well. If you haven’t tried Rdio you are missing out. Been using it for over a year and have all my friends on my plan which makes it only $7/month. I still buy vinyl records but for on-the-go purposes Rdio wins. iTunes radio was pathetic when I first tried it and kept repeating songs.

  6. Darek Dochnal - 10 years ago

    Yeah works for me on iTunes because is easier for me to manage or buy iTunes gift cards from Germany online on any auction portal like DiBuu or 4saleusa as well as Hulu+ TV Membership available by APP on iPhone iPad or other Apple TV and Mac devices. But rental of the movies are the best from VUDU because each movie cost you $2 with discounted 60% OFF cards on Netstrada website. Just my 5 cents to help you save some big b@cks ;)!

  7. Interesting. I use Sirius XM streaming mostly and switch to iTunes Radio from time to time. I wonder why Sirius didn’t qualify to be on the report?

Author

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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