How Many People Use YouTube Music in 2024? A Thorough Look at the Stats

YouTube Music has become one of the top music streaming services, offering official song catalogs, playlists, remixes and more. But how widely used is YouTube Music in 2024? And how quickly is it gaining new subscribers?

In this in-depth article, we’ll analyze all the key YouTube Music usage statistics to see how it stacks up against rivals like Spotify and Apple Music. Whether you’re an aspiring musician or just love streaming music, you’ll learn:

• How many total users YouTube Music has
• YouTube Music’s subscriber growth trends
• Who makes up YouTube Music’s core audience
• How YouTube Music’s market share compares
• The revenue YouTube Music generates
• How much YouTube Music pays artists
• Geographic breakdowns of YouTube Music’s popularity
• Competitive analysis of YouTube Music vs. Spotify, Apple Music and others

Let’s dive in and look at the numbers behind one of the world’s most used music streaming platforms.

YouTube Music Has Over 80 Million Paying Subscribers (and Counting)

As of 2022, YouTube Music has surpassed 80 million paid subscribers according to official counts. This represents massive growth from just 50 million subscribers in 2021.

To understand just how rapidly YouTube Music is expanding, let’s look at its historical paid subscriber base:

• 2015: 1.5 million subscribers
• 2016: 3 million subscribers
• 2017: 2.8 million subscribers
• 2018: 10 million subscribers
• 2019: 18 million subscribers
• 2020: 30 million subscribers
• 2021: 50 million subscribers
• 2022: 80 million subscribers

That’s over a 50% compound annual growth rate over the past 5 years. At this pace, YouTube Music could very plausibly surpass 100 million paid subscribers in 2024 or 2024.

For context, here’s how YouTube Music’s paid subscriber base compares to competitors as of 2021 (via BusinessofApps):

[Insert comparison table]

While Spotify still enjoys a commanding lead, YouTube Music has now clearly surpassed other players like Apple Music and Amazon Music in paid users. Its growth trajectory looks very promising.

And beyond just paid users, YouTube Music potentially reaches YouTube‘s massive 2.6 billion logged-in user base. Let’s analyze that next.

Total YouTube Music Users: Up to 2.6 Billion

In addition to its 80+ million paying subscribers, YouTube Music gains a huge secondary audience from YouTube’s overall user base.

YouTube has over 2.6 billion monthly logged-in users that could potentially use YouTube Music. And according to YouTube, over 2 billion logged-in users visit YouTube to consume music content like songs, playlists and music videos every single month.

So while not all of YouTube‘s user base actively uses YouTube Music, we can conservatively estimate that over 2 billion people use YouTube Music each month when counting both paid and free users.

This gives YouTube Music unparalleled reach thanks to YouTube’s position as the world’s most popular online video site. Music and YouTube go hand in hand, which benefits YouTube Music enormously.

Now let’s take a closer look at YouTube Music’s most engaged user demographic.

YouTube Music’s Core Audience: Gen Z and Millennials

YouTube Music appeals heavily to younger audience segments in the Gen Z and Millennial categories.

Backlinko analysis shows that around 73% of overall YouTube users are below the age of 34. This youth skew among the broader YouTube community also transfers to YouTube Music.

In fact, a Music Business Worldwide study found:

• 84% of consumers aged 23 and younger use a music streaming service
• 83% of those aged 24-39 use a music streaming service
• 73.5% aged 40-55 use a music streaming service
• 57.5% aged 56+ use a music streaming service

So the under 40 crowd indexes highest on music streaming across the board.

However, research by MIDiA indicates it’s actually the 25-34 age range that is most likely to pay for a streaming subscription. While teens and college students use free tiers most heavily.

Either way, the youthful Gen Z segment is a prime target for YouTube Music. This generation is innately familiar with streaming music videos and songs on YouTube, giving YouTube Music a leg up.

Now let’s see how YouTube Music’s market share stacks up against the competition.

YouTube Music Holds 10% Share of the Global Music Streaming Market

As of 2021, YouTube Music accounts for around 10.11% of the total global market for paid music streaming subscribers.

This analysis from BusinessofApps breaks down the global market share across leading music streamers:

• Spotify: 33.37% global market share
• Apple Music: 17.80%
• Amazon Music: 13.75%
• Tencent Music: 13.39%
• YouTube Music: 10.11%
• NetEase: 4.91%
• Deezer: 1.42%

So while Spotify still dominates with around one-third share, YouTube Music has firmly claimed fourth place ahead of other players.

And YouTube Music’s share is rapidly rising based on its strong subscriber growth. Capturing increased share among younger demographics could help YouTube Music potentially overtake Apple Music and Amazon Music over the coming years.

YouTube Music Revenue Hits $6 Billion in 2021

In terms of financials, YouTube Music is big business for Google and parent company Alphabet.

According to Global Media Insight, YouTube Music generated an estimated $6 billion USD in revenue in 2021. This makes it the 3rd highest earning music streaming service behind:

1. Spotify: $10.9 billion
2. Tencent Music: $4.9 billion

Other music streamers lag far behind, like:

• Apple Music: $5 billion
• NetEase: $1.1 billion

So even though YouTube Music trails in paid subscribers, it’s competitive when it comes to overall revenue thanks to its massive free user base. Advertising and premium subscriptions both contribute significantly.

As YouTube Music’s paid subscriber count grows, premium revenue will likely overtake ad revenue as the main income stream moving forward.

What Does YouTube Music Premium Offer?

One factor driving YouTube Music’s rapid subscriber growth is its YouTube Music Premium offering.

For $9.99/month, YouTube Music Premium provides:

• Ad-free listening
• Ability to play songs offline
• Background playback
• Downloads for offline listening
• Highest 256 kbps AAC audio quality

Subscribers also get full access to YouTube Premium for $11.99/month, removing all YouTube ads and letting you play videos in the background.

These benefits make Premium very enticing, especially for younger demographics who rely on streaming. Paying to remove ads is a major incentive.

Now let’s explore how YouTube Music’s catalog stacks up.

YouTube Music Catalog: Over 80 Million Official Songs

In addition to user-generated content, YouTube has spent years partnering with record labels to expand its catalog of official licensed music.

Today, YouTube Music offers over 80 million official songs, albums, singles and remixes according to YouTube’s statements. This includes major label partnerships with:

• Universal Music Group
• Sony Music Entertainment
• Warner Music Group

These deals allow YouTube Music to offer full official releases from top artists both old and new. YouTube has also signed deals with major independents labels and distributors.

Here’s how YouTube Music’s 80+ million track catalog compares to key competitors:

• Spotify: 80 million+ songs
• Apple Music: Over 90 million songs
• Amazon Music: 90 million songs
• Tencent Music: Over 60 million songs

So while YouTube Music doesn’t have the biggest catalog, it has achieved parity with Spotify and comes reasonably close to Apple Music and Amazon Music.

The key for YouTube Music is supplementing official tracks with a long tail of Remixes, live performances, covers and music videos you won’t find elsewhere. This helps differentiate the catalog.

How Much Does YouTube Music Pay Artists?

One important question surrounding streaming services is how much revenue they drive for artists and music rights holders. So how much does YouTube Music pay per stream?

According to compilation of data by Backlinko, YouTube Music pays out approximately $0.008 per stream on average.

This compares reasonably well against other major music streamers:

• Napster: $0.019 per stream
• Apple Music: $0.01 per stream
• Spotify: $0.003 – $0.005 per stream
• Pandora: $0.001 – $0.002 per stream

The exact per stream rate varies based factors like user location, type of subscription, label deals and more. But overall YouTube Music’s payouts are competitive.

To put it in perspective, an artist averaging 100,000 daily YouTube Music streams could expect around $800 per day, or $24,000 per month in payouts. While not huge, this provides an incremental revenue stream on top of sales and other sources.

Now let’s take a geographic look at where YouTube Music is most popular.

YouTube Music‘s Popularity by Country

YouTube Music has found particular success and adoption in certain countries and regions. Let‘s analyze some areas where it indexes especially high.

YouTube Music‘s Popularity in India

India is one of YouTube Music‘s fastest growing and most lucrative markets. The app has already surpassed 50 million downloads on India‘s Google Play store.

Factors driving growth in India include:

• Rapid adoption of streaming among younger segments
• Low pricing tiers (under $2/month) tailored to the Indian market
• Focus on Bollywood and regional Indian music genres
• Partnerships with Indian labels like T-Series

Reports indicate YouTube Music has become the #2 music app in India after Spotify, and is growing much faster than competitors.

YouTube Music‘s Popularity in South Korea

South Korea is another Asian market where YouTube Music has found a foothold. An eMarketer report indicates YouTube has 73% penetration among digital video viewers in South Korea, giving YouTube Music a large addressable audience.

Factors contributing to YouTube Music‘s strength in South Korea:

• K-pop‘s heavy use of music videos plays to YouTube‘s strengths
• Full catalog of K-pop artists and Korean music labels
• Custom playlists and Charts focused onKorean music
• Local language support and pricing

YouTube Music is estimated to be the 3rd most used music streaming app in South Korea behind Melon and Spotify.

YouTube Music‘s Growth in Latin America

Latin America is seen as a major growth opportunity for YouTube Music thanks to the region‘s young demographic profile. Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia are key focus markets.

Drivers of YouTube Music‘s popularity in Latin America include:

• Addition Spanish-language interface and recommendations
• Expansive Latin pop and reggaeton catalog
• Partnerships with Latin labels like Sony Latin
• Marketing focused on Latin American artists

Paid streaming in Latin America is expected to rise 27% annually through 2026, leaving ample room for services like YouTube Music to expand.

SWOT Analysis of YouTube Music

Now that we‘ve explored all the key stats around YouTube Music‘s usage, let‘s summarize its current standing with a SWOT analysis:

Strengths

• Massive built-in audience from YouTube‘s 2.6 billion users
• Rising paid subscriber base of over 80 million
• Strong popularity among teens and young demographics
• Revenue of over $6 billion in 2021
• Integrated music videos and official catalogs

Weaknesses

• Late entrant to crowded streaming market
• Paid subscriber base still trails Spotify, Apple Music and others
• Complex music licensing remains challenging
• Must share ad revenue with YouTube video creators

Opportunities

• Rapid growth in developing markets like India, South America, and South East Asia
• Expanding market for paid streaming subscriptions
• Leveraging Google‘s technology, AI, and resources
• Launching additional pricing tiers

Threats

• Mature competitors like Spotify and Apple Music
• Loss of popularity among youth if another platform emerges
• Record labels shifting priorities away from YouTube
• Ad-based model may become less lucrative over time

Conclusion: YouTube Music Has the Wind at Its Back

After analyzing all the numbers, trends, and user demographics, YouTube Music appears well-positioned for continued expansion in the music streaming space.

Key advantages like YouTube‘s built-in audience and strong traction among youth should help drive steady growth. YouTube Music‘s 80+ million subscriber base is already generating billions in much-needed revenue for the music industry.

While it faces fierce competition, YouTube Music has found its lane by focusing on next-gen audiences, leveraging Google‘s technology, and blending official songs with must-see music videos.

If YouTube Music stays true to its strengths, its current growth trajectory looks likely to continue. The opportunity is there to potentially one day rival or even surpass streaming mainstays like Spotify.

So while challenges remain, the wind appears to be at YouTube Music‘s back as it aims to become the music streaming app of the future.