In a rare show of openness for an Australian streaming music service, iHeartRadio’s domestic operation has shared some data on its subscribers and how they’re using it.
As at April, iHeartRadio Australia reports its app had been downloaded 308,000 times (70% iOS, 30% Android) and it boasted 207,000 registered users, up 11% from the previous month. The Internet radio service’s audience isn’t comprised entirely of youngsters. Some 62% are aged 25-54, 30% are under 25, and 8% are 55-and-over.
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According to the figures — released to celebrate nine months since launch — iHeartRadio Australia’s Web and mobile sites generated 7.3 million page impressions and 260,000 unique visitors, while its mobile app captured 146,000 unique visitors. Its Website handled 1.5 million hours of music streaming, and the service delivered 45.5 million track streams across its mobile and Web platforms.
iHeartRadio Expands Into Australia, New Zealand
iHeartRadio was relatively late to the Australian streaming music market, arriving in August 2013 through a partnership with the Australian Radio Network (ARN), a joint venture between Clear Channel and APN News & Media. A wave of international players including Pandora, Rdio, Spotify and Deezer rolled out Down Under in 2012, while homegrown service JB Hi Fi’s “Now” was online back in December 2011.
Australia was iHeartRadio’s first expansion market outside the U.S. The brand has since hosted live concerts for Kylie Minogue and Ed Sheeran, though its launch MD told Kate Beddoe played-down any talk of an Aussie version of the U.S. iHeartRadio Music Festival, telling Billboard last year, “We’re a way away from being able to offer that calibre of events in Australia.”
Australia plays host to more than 30 digital music services, and the sector is on the up. During 2013, revenue from streaming services almost doubled to Australian $20.9 million ($18.6 million), and the biz now accounts for 5.9% of the total market value, according to trade figures published by ARIA. The data also reveals ad-supported revenue (Australian $12 million/$16 million) is still considerably greater than the sums generated by subscriptions (Australian $8 million/$7 million).
The recent closure of Deezer’s Australian office suggests the streaming business here could get bloody.
Few of the key digital services have been keen to share cold, hard data, and market-share is largely guesswork. Perhaps iHeartRadio’s spirit of openness will open the floodgates. Don’t bet on it.