Leading Brands in Japan's Music & Podcasts Category: Q3 2024 Analysis

Introduction

In the dynamic landscape of digital music and podcasts, several brands have carved out a significant presence in Japan. This article examines the performance of leading brands in the Music & Podcasts category during Q3 2024. Leveraging Sensor Tower's comprehensive data, we analyze the trends of Spotify, YouTube Music, and SoundCloud Limited, focusing on their audience engagement across web and app platforms, as well as their advertising strategies.

Spotify

Spotify maintains a robust digital presence through its website, spotify.com, and the Spotify: Music and Podcasts app.

• Audience Trends: Throughout Q3 2024, Spotify's monthly deduplicated audience remained stable, consistently exceeding 10.5M. The web platform consistently attracted over 2M unique visitors monthly, with visits per unique visitor reaching as high as 55 in April.

• App Engagement: The app saw a gradual increase in monthly active users, reaching nearly 5.7M by September, indicating steady interest in mobile streaming.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Spotify's monthly ad spend exhibited a notable spike in August, exceeding $3M, with impressions peaking at around 930M in September. Instagram was the dominant channel, delivering the highest number of impressions.

YouTube Music

YouTube Music commands a strong presence with its website, music.youtube.com, and the YouTube Music app.

• Audience Trends: The web platform experienced a consistent increase in unique visits, rising to over 2.1M by September. The visits per unique visitor remained high, reaching up to 95.

• App Engagement: The app's monthly active user base grew steadily, surpassing 19M by the end of Q3, underscoring its growing popularity among mobile users.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Minimal advertising spend was recorded, with a slight increase in September, indicating a strategic focus on organic growth and platform engagement.

SoundCloud Limited

SoundCloud operates via its website, soundcloud.com, and the SoundCloud: Discover New Songs app.

• Audience Trends: The web platform's unique visits fluctuated, with a peak of over 400K in August. Despite variability, the monthly deduplicated audience remained just under 1M throughout Q3.

• App Engagement: The app maintained a stable monthly active user base, hovering around 1.7M by September, reflecting consistent user interest.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Advertising efforts were minimal, with negligible spend and impressions, suggesting a focus on organic reach.

Conclusion

The Q3 2024 analysis of the Music & Podcasts category in Japan reveals distinctive trends among leading brands. Spotify and YouTube Music continue to dominate with strong audience engagement across both web and app platforms, while SoundCloud maintains a steady presence with a focus on organic growth. Sensor Tower's unparalleled data insights, including Web Insights, App Performance Insights, and Pathmatics, provide critical visibility into these trends, offering invaluable cross-platform user behavior analysis. These insights empower decision-makers to strategize effectively in an increasingly competitive market. Whether it's evaluating audience reach or optimizing advertising efforts, Sensor Tower stands as a trusted partner in navigating the digital music and podcast landscape.