The State of Music Monetization: January, 2011...

Source: Digital Music News
January 24, 2011
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(#midem) Who's paying for what? We've been getting hit with a lot of subscriber updates here and there, including a few at MidemNet this weekend. So here's the latest monetization intelligence, please share if we've missed something!

(1) Spotify

Paying Subscribers: 750,000 (per Spotify, shared immediately after Sony Music US signing this month.)
Subscriber Mix: 90% paying full premiums (source: Digital Music News, citing European partner sources late last year)
Royalty Payouts: 43 million ($58.5 million) in 2010 (source: Spotify, shared with ballade.no this month).

(2) Rhapsody

Paying Subscribers: 750,000 (per Rhapsody president John Irwin, January 20th).
Of note: Increase of 100,000 since April, 2010; RNWK estimates broader US music subscription market at 1.5 million).

(3) Napster

Paying Subscribers: 760,000 as of Best Buy purchase (May, 2008). (Current number unknown, likely smaller.)

(4) Vodafone UK

100,000 paying music subscribers (per Vodafone content services director Lee Epting at MidemNet 2011).
Of note: Global goal is 1 million by 2012.

(5) Sirius XM Radio

Paying Subscribers: 20 million+ (per company, threshold accomplished December, 2010)
Monthly Subscription Cost: $12.95 (or higher)

(6) Nokia's Comes With Music (Closing in Most Countries)

Paying Subscribers: 107,000 worldwide, 33,000 in UK (Music Ally, July 2009). Now being wound down outside of Asia, Turkey, Brazil, South Africa.

(7) Pandora

Financial Status: Profitable (as of late-2009, per CEO Tim Westergren)
Registered users: 65 million (per Westergren, October 2010)
Active users: 25 million (in September, 2010), average monthly sessions at 11 hours.

(8) Rdio

Paying Subscribers: Company will not disclose to Digital Music News. No other sources or information at present.

(9) Slacker

Paying Subscribers: More than 200,000 paying $4-5 monthly (source: Slacker, to Digital Music News late last year)

(10) iTunes

Paid Song Downloads: 10 billion, cumulative since mid-2003 (source: Apple, reported February, 2010)
Broader Story: Awaiting updated figures. In the US, a-la-carte downloads gained a modest 1 percent to 1.172 billion in 2010, per Nielsen Soundscan. Digital albums gained 13 percent to 86.3 million. The global picture appears more healthy, though also primed for plateau.

(11) eMusic