--- title: SoundCloud is the Future of Music Streaming description: The war for your listening attention might soon be over. Keep an eye on SoundCloud. --- Solutions #### Solutions - [Brands & Publishers](https://apptopia.com/brands-publishers-solutions) - [Sales Teams](https://apptopia.com/sdk-sales-solutions) - [Public Finance](https://apptopia.com/public-finance-solutions) - [Private Equity](https://apptopia.com/investor-solutions) #### PRODUCTS - [Sales Prospector](https://apptopia.com/sales-prospector) Find targeted leads quickly - [Radar](https://apptopia.com/radar-product) Track your competitors' every move - [Alpha Intelligence](https://apptopia.com/alpha-intelligence)NEW Spot signals ahead of the curve - [Bloomberg Terminal App](https://apptopia.com/bloomberg-app)NEW Layer app data over fundamentals #### Integrations - [Integrations Passport](https://apptopia.com/integrations-passport) Pay once and get unlimited integrations ![](https://d1nuzn6tpp7gri.cloudfront.net/public/pictures/W1siZiIsIjIwMjAvMDYvMTcvMDYvNTUvNTMvZmRmMmYxYmMtMDc5Ni00NjZlLTk5Y2QtNDhjM2Y2NjdhZmRkL3NvbHV0aW9uc19tZW51QDJ4LnBuZyJdXQ/6e5b664d6fbcd354/solutions_menu%402x.png?name=solutions+menu%402x) Data - [X-Ray Intelligence](https://apptopia.com/x-ray-intelligence)NEW See app classification insights for every app and mobile game - [Search Intelligence](https://apptopia.com/search-intelligence) Insights on paid and organic search results for 75K+ keywords - [Performance Intelligence](https://apptopia.com/performance-data) Downloads, revenue, and usage insights for 7M apps - [Audience Intelligence](https://apptopia.com/audience-data) Demographic and cross-app usage insights - [Review Intelligence](https://apptopia.com/review-intelligence) Get actionable insights from user reviews - [SDK Intelligence](https://apptopia.com/sdk-data) Track which apps install or uninstall over 2,900 SDKs ![](https://d1nuzn6tpp7gri.cloudfront.net/public/pictures/W1siZiIsIjIwMjAvMDUvMDQvMTQvMjMvMzkvMjE0MjRlODktZDk2OC00NDAwLTk3YjYtYzdjYjM3NWI5NDBiL2RhdGFfbWVudUAyeC5wbmciXV0/430dde9fcd151f43/data_menu%402x.png?name=data+menu%402x) [Pricing](https://apptopia.com/pricing) Company - [Our DNA](https://apptopia.com/our-approach) - [Our Data](https://apptopia.com/our-data) - [Our Compliance](https://apptopia.com/our-compliance) - [Our Team](https://apptopia.com/about-us) ![](https://d1nuzn6tpp7gri.cloudfront.net/public/pictures/W1siZiIsIjIwMjAvMDEvMzAvMTEvNDcvMTcvNDBmZWNlMmQtMDMxZS00YzJjLTg0NTEtODIyYjRjOGYzYTY4L2NvbXBhbnlfaGVhZGVyLWljb24uc3ZnIl1d/fbd8123d35271cf1/company_header-icon.svg?name=company+header-icon) Resources - [Reports & Guides](https://apptopia.com/resources) - [Free Insights](https://apptopia.com/newsletter-archive) - [Case Studies](https://apptopia.com/case-studies) - [Blog](https://blog.apptopia.com/) - [Top Charts](https://apptopia.com/store-insights/top-charts/itunes-connect) ![](https://d1nuzn6tpp7gri.cloudfront.net/public/pictures/W1siZiIsIjIwMjAvMDEvMzAvMTEvNDcvMTYvMmQxNzEyNzgtMTZjYi00ZjE5LWI0OWYtNTMwMGUwNDY3ZWQ3L3Jlc291cmNlc19oZWFkZXItaWNvbi5zdmciXV0/37edfa21c8b36744/resources_header-icon.svg?name=resources+header-icon) [Top Charts](https://apptopia.com/store-insights/top-charts/itunes-connect) [Log In](https://apptopia.com/users/sign_in) [Request a Demo](https://apptopia.com/demo) [Get Free Data](https://apptopia.com/free-data-insights) [OUR BLOG](https://blog.apptopia.com) Categories Data Insights Back - [Fintech](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/topic/fintech) - [App Economy](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/topic/app-economy) - [Entertainment](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/topic/entertainment) - [Food & Dining](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/topic/food-dining) - [Health and Fitness](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/topic/health-and-fitness) - [Commerce](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/topic/commerce) - [Company News](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/topic/company-news) - [Games](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/topic/games) - [Social Media](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/topic/social-media) Mobile 101 Back - [Sales](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/topic/sales) - [Marketing](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/topic/marketing) - [Competitive Intelligence](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/topic/competitive-intelligence) - [Investing](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/topic/investing) - [Announcements](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/topic/product-update) - [Podcast](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/topic/podcast) - [Webinars](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/topic/webinar) [Fintech](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/topic/fintech) # SoundCloud is the Future of Music Streaming Jul 27, 2016 ![](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/alt=) Jul 27, 2016 Over the past month or so, SoundCloud received a $70 million dollar investment from Twitter and rolled out a paid service called “SoundCloud Go.” From the looks of it, the company is preparing to better compete in a crowded music streaming space.  As to its chances, critics are less than bullish. Though SoundCloud’s free service boasts a music library of 125 million songs, seemingly dwarfing competitors like Shazam, Pandora and Spotify, the vast majority are user-submitted originals. When it comes to carrying big name, big label artists—the key attraction of its paid service—SoundCloud Go adds just 15 million songs, which is only about half of its competitors’ current offerings. A quick look those odds, and it would be easy to conclude SoundCloud doesn’t stand much of a chance. *Tech Times* thinks as much. They wrote SoundCloud Go was a “no go” (clever). But they would be wrong.  **Monthly Active Users (MAU)**  Of the most popular third-party music streaming apps[\[1\]](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/soundcloud-is-the-future-of-music-streaming#_ftn1), Spotify and Pandora accounted for 71 percent of global monthly active users (MAU) in Q2. In the U.S., the two apps captured 81 percent.   Global MAU Q2 2016 ![Music_App_Global_MAU_2016.png](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Music_App_Global_MAU_2016.png?width=609&height=305&name=Music_App_Global_MAU_2016.png) U.S. MAU Q2 2016 ![Music_App_US_MAU_2016.png](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Music_App_US_MAU_2016.png?width=609&height=309&name=Music_App_US_MAU_2016.png) And although that’s still an overwhelming majority of monthly users, the numbers are down from this time last year. In Q2 of 2015, Spotfiy and Pandora held 73 percent of global MAU and 83 percent of U.S. Global MAU Q2 2015 ![Music_App_Global_MAU_2015.png](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Music_App_Global_MAU_2015.png?width=609&height=305&name=Music_App_Global_MAU_2015.png) U.S. MAU Q2 2015 ![Music_App_US_MAU_2015.png](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Music_App_US_MAU_2015.png?width=609&height=305&name=Music_App_US_MAU_2015.png) The only one to make up ground? SoundCloud. **Monetization** MAU is a nice barometer of market share, but ultimately it doesn’t mean much if users aren’t spending. Currently, the revenue split between Spotify and Pandora is 80/20, respectively, and even with that huge advantage, Spotify [is hemorrhaging money](http://www.digitaltrends.com/music/spotify-posts-massive-revenue-increases-in-2015/) and artists. It’s not sustainable. Conversely, without the bloated overhead of the other major streaming apps, SoundCloud stands to monetize and, you know, actually turn a profit.  **Downloads** When it comes to download volumes, the situation worsens for the top streaming apps. Over the past year, rates have unilaterally fallen. Global Download Rates Y-o-Y ![Music_App_Global_Downloads.png](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Music_App_Global_Downloads.png?width=609&height=245&name=Music_App_Global_Downloads.png) It’s much of the same story in the U.S.—expect for the fact that SoundCloud was the only streaming to actually increase downloads in the U.S. U.S. Download Rates Y-o-Y ![Music_App_US_Downloads.png](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Music_App_US_Downloads.png?width=609&height=245&name=Music_App_US_Downloads.png) **Takeaways** If we’re betting on future growth, SoundCloud is the right call. They’re the only music-streaming app to grow in both global MAU and U.S. downloads year-over-year, and with competitors like Spotify and Pandora losing ground and money, SoundCloud has a strange chance to swallow market share. [![Four KPIs to Measure Mobile App Success ](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2045506/b800a077-3820-4bec-b64f-0e4d1d9e81cf.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2045506/b800a077-3820-4bec-b64f-0e4d1d9e81cf) [\[1\]](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/soundcloud-is-the-future-of-music-streaming#_ftnref1) Excluding the pre-loaded Apple Music ## Request Your Demo ### ## ## Get free data on any market   ![blog-banner-img](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/hubfs/blog-banner-img.svg "blog-banner-img") Track your competition with a custom intelligence report [Get Started](https://apptopia.com/free-competitive-intelligence-report) ## Get free data on any market   ![blog-banner-img](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/hubfs/blog-banner-img.svg "blog-banner-img") Track your competition with a custom intelligence report [Get Started](https://apptopia.com/free-competitive-intelligence-report) ## Popular Posts ![/](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/download%20leaders-1.jpg) [2019 Worldwide Download Leaders](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/2019-worldwide-download-leaders) ![/](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_1294663972-1.jpg) [Bloomberg & Apptopia: Why it Matters](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/bloomberg-apptopia-why-it-matters) ![](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/alt=) [hs support](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/3-rules-for-effective-mobile-video-ads-0) ![/](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/wwdc17-og-1.jpg) [WWDC Day 1 Recap...Yawn.](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/wwdc-day-1-recap) ## Never miss an insight. Get quality content sent to your inbox every week. [![Apptopia Logo](https://blog-staging.apptopia.com/hubfs/apptopia-logo/logo-1.svg)](https://apptopia.com/) #### SOLUTIONS - [Brands & Publishers](https://apptopia.com/brands-publishers-solutions) - [Sales Teams](https://apptopia.com/sdk-sales-solutions) - [Public Finance](https://apptopia.com/public-finance-solutions) - [Private Equity](https://apptopia.com/investor-solutions) #### Products - [Sales Prospector](https://apptopia.com/sales-prospector) - [Radar](https://apptopia.com/radar-product) - [Alpha Intelligence](https://apptopia.com/alpha-intelligence) - [Bloomberg Terminal App](https://apptopia.com/bloomberg-app) #### Information - [Pricing](https://apptopia.com/pricing) - [API Documentation](https://dev.apptopia.com/) - [Support](https://help.apptopia.com/knowledge) #### Company - [About Us](https://apptopia.com/about) - [Blog](https://apptopia-2045506.hs-sites.com) - [Careers](https://apptopia.com/careers) - [Press](https://apptopia.com/press-room) - [Company News](http://blog.apptopia.com/topic/company-news) #### Legal - [Terms of Service](https://apptopia.com/terms) - [Privacy Policy](https://apptopia.com/privacy) - [Pricing Policy](https://apptopia.com/policy-pricing) © Apptopia 2023