Leading Brands in Japan's Music & Podcasts Category: Q4 2024 Overview

The Music & Podcasts category in Japan exhibited significant growth and dynamic trends from Q3 to Q4 2024. Dominating this space are Spotify, YouTube Music, and SoundCloud Limited, each showcasing unique strengths across their digital platforms. This report delves into the key data trends observed across their websites and apps, offering insights that are crucial for strategic decision-making.

Spotify

Spotify continues to lead with a robust digital presence through its website, spotify.com, and the Spotify: Music and Podcasts app.

• Audience Trends: Spotify maintained a stable monthly deduplicated audience consistently above 10M throughout Q4. The website experienced fluctuations in monthly unique visits but remained above 1.9M, with a significant spike in October.

• App Engagement: The app saw a steady increase in monthly active users, reaching nearly 6M by December, reflecting strong mobile engagement.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Spotify's monthly advertising efforts peaked in December, with expenditure over $4.7M and impressions exceeding 1B. Instagram emerged as the dominant channel, contributing significantly to impressions.

YouTube Music

YouTube Music stands as a formidable player, with its website, music.youtube.com, and the YouTube Music app.

• Audience Trends: The website attracted a consistent monthly audience, with unique visits hovering around 1.8M. Notably, visits per unique visitor increased significantly, reaching 125 in December.

• App Engagement: The app maintained a robust monthly active user base, consistently above 19M throughout Q4, indicating high user retention.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Minimal monthly advertising spend was observed, with only a slight increase in December. The focus remained on organic growth and user engagement.

SoundCloud Limited

SoundCloud Limited showcases its offerings through soundcloud.com and the SoundCloud: Discover New Songs app.

• Audience Trends: The website saw a notable increase in monthly visits, particularly in December, with unique visits nearing 300K.

• App Engagement: The app experienced a slight decline in monthly active users, falling to around 1.6M by December, suggesting a shift in user behavior towards the website.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Monthly advertising spend was minimal, with occasional spikes in October, primarily through Instagram.

Conclusion

The Music & Podcasts category has shown distinct trends in Q4 2024, with each brand demonstrating unique strengths. Sensor Tower's comprehensive data, accessible through Web Insights, Pathmatics, and App Performance Insights, provides unparalleled insights into these cross-platform dynamics. As the digital landscape evolves, these insights are essential for understanding user behavior and strategizing future growth. Sensor Tower's data offers unique advantages for decision-makers looking to navigate this competitive market effectively.