Over 12.7 Million Australians Now Use Music Streaming Services

According to market research firm Roy Morgan, more than 12.7 million Australians, or 61% of the population, now regularly use a music streaming service.

Spotify is the market leader in this space, used by some 8 million Australians. Since 2017 Spotify has doubled is user base in Australia, adding 4.4 million users.

YouTube Music is in second place, with an Australian user base of 5.5 million. This figure is set to growth further with the imminent closure of Google Play Music. Google has installed a button that allows existing Google Play Music users to transfer their music libraries and playlists over to YouTube Music. As of early 2020, 1 million Australians used Google Play Music.

Apple Music and SoundCloud are third and fourth, respectively, in the Australian market.

“Competition in music streaming is set to increase with global tech giants Apple and Amazon both significant players. Apple Music launched in 2015 replacing the music service iTunes, while Amazon Prime Music launched in Australia less than two years ago in late 2018,” said Michele Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan.

“The two trillion-dollar tech companies are also big players in Australia’s increasingly competitive Subscription TV/streaming video market with Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime Video. The dynamics within both markets illustrate the power of the large global players to drive convergence and entice consumers to their platforms.”

Now, 8.1 million Australians don’t use any music streaming service, marking a drop of 2.7 million compared to three years ago.

“Those listening to music online tend to be younger and more open to new ideas than the average Australian, and ready to spend their money to seek out new experiences whether traveling, sampling different cuisines are trying the latest tech products. The socially aware and career-focused Metrotechs exemplify these attitudes,” Levine said.