17/11/2009

Online music streaming service Spotify has outstripped rivals Last.fm and Napster in the rankings of top music streaming sites.

The study found that iTunes still tops the tables with 17 per cent of the direct streaming market, with Spotify coming a close second with 12 per cent.

Last.fm held a seven per cent market share after the top two, with industry pioneer Napster trailing with just four per cent, according to the Connected Life study.

In terms of music downloads the study found that iTunes was still the main provider with 50 per cent of the market, followed by Amazon at 25 per cent.

Of those questioned 60 per cent of people said that they streamed music from the internet, which shows that Spotify's potential market base is still large.

Launched in the UK in February last year, the Swedish music service now offers more than one billion tracks for listeners.

It uses an advertising service between songs in order to pay for the site, also offering an ad-free premium service.