SoundCloud continues to grow in popularity and is starting to go neck and neck with Spotify in some regions, according to new research from British digital consumer research firm GlobalWebIndex.
One in 10 online users aged between 16 and 64 are using SoundCloud at least once a month, says the research, with many of those users also using the likes of Spotify, Google Play, and iTunes.
When compared with SoundCloud, Spotify maintains a stronghold over certain key regions like North America and Europe. However, SoundCloud is seeing some impressive user numbers in Asia, where its gives Spotify a run for its money. Even still, it seems that it won’t be challenging the streaming giant any time soon on a global scale.
Through the study, GlobalWebIndex also found that almost four in 10 SoundCloud users bought a music download last month, more so than users of other services, but their shift to streaming isn’t letting up either.
“Three fifths say they would rather sign up for a membership to a service than pay extra to own something, and 3 in 10 paid for a music streaming service last month,” says GWI.
Another interesting facet of GWI’s research into SoundCloud users is their use of privacy tools. The study shows that half of SoundCloud users have used a virtual private network (VPN). Users are 2.5 times more likely to use a VPN to access content while 15 percent have used a VPN to surf restricted download sites. Meanwhile, half of the surveyed users have an ad blocker and are twice as likely to be using anti-tracking software.
Perhaps unsurprisingly though, SoundCloud users are also active users of several other social media platforms. Facebook and Twitter are the obvious ones but Pinterest and LinkedIn were also well represented while many of the music streaming service’s users that surveyed were also Vloggers.