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Spotify’s free version has the largest reach of any digital music service in the UK, even outstripping many commercial radio stations, new research claims.
A study by global market research firm TNS says that the free version of the music streaming service now reaches 16.8% of the UK listening audience, the majority of which are under the age of 35.
However, the study also suggested an increase in the number of older users who appear to have become more “tech-savvy”. According to the research, only 5% fewer 45 to 54-year-olds use Spotify’s free service than listen to the radio.
If Spotify’s free service were a commercial radio station it would be the third largest in the UK based on weekly reach – behind only Heart and Capital.
The research also revealed that the most popular time to use Spotify was when users were surfing the web or relaxing, with working or studying third.
The research is welcome news to the streaming service, which has come under increased pressure from rival platforms – most notably Apple Music – in the last year.
In June, Spotify announced that it had surpassed 100 million users for the first time – making it the largest streaming service around, with the majority using the firm’s ad-supported free version.
