App Annie has launched a new Index for Music that tracks statistics for musical mobile software. The index combines data from both the iOS App Store and the Android Google Play marketplace for a look at the programs that are most downloaded and generate the most revenue across four subcategories: music listening, music creation, artists and information, and other.
Apps from the music listening subcategory were responsible for more than 70% of the top 10 downloads and revenue in the September Index. Pandora topped the overall index for both downloads and revenue, followed by Spotify. The other listening apps in the top 10 for revenue were Beats Music, Rdio, Rhapsody, and Slacker Radio. The performances of those six listening apps were strong enough for them to rank among the top 50 in U.S. revenue for all apps outside of games.
The leaders by download included several other familiar tools for online music. A third-party SoundCloud downloader app ranked third, with iHeartRadio and SoundCloud itself rounding out the top 5. Shazam, Beats Music, and TuneIn Radio also snagged spots in the top 10 by download.
With data from Localytics showing that time spent in music apps increased 79% between August 2013 and August 2014, the Index adds to the growing amount of data supporting not only the financial possibilities of streaming music but the strength of mobile applications as well.