Quick, name the world’s biggest streaming service — if you said YouTube, it’s because you looked at the damn headline. And if you didn’t guess YouTube, would you look at the damn headline already?
Really, the only mystery here is the motives behind the company that put this information out: Spotify. Spotify made it clear today that their most popular download ever — Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” with 200 million listens, is far dwarfed by YouTube’s numbers for the same song. And that doesn’t even account for all the fan remix and lyrics-only crap — just the official music video, which on YouTube has been tapped over 282 million times. And that isn’t even YouTube’s No. 1 song. That honor goes to Psy’s “Gangnam Style.”
So why is Spotify making this point? YouTube is a video site, Spotify is a streaming music site. Spotify has connections in only 55 coutries, YouTube is global. And yet, they are competitors, directly and indirectly. Especially with YouTube allegedly amping up a streaming music service of their own in the coming months.
So is this an antitrust claim in the making? A push for greater transparency in the bigger company? The squeal of capitulation from the field mouse caught in the crushing jaw of the mightier hawk? I guess we’ll find out soon …
Here’s more from the lil’ streaming music biz:
Why Spotify, YouTube and Digital Streaming Won’t Kill Music or The Album [OP-ED]
Spotify, Pandora or Rdio? A Guide To Finding The Best Online Music Service [INFOGRAPHIC]
