After launching on September 18, simultaneous with the
release of iOS 7 and baked into that mobile operating system, iTunes Radio has
attracted 20-million users. Apple announced this milestone in a live product
event on Tuesday.
Many media outlets are positioning the datum as a comparison
with Pandora’s latest audience metrics report, which claimed 72.7-million
active users in September. But quick conclusions of impending doom for Pandora,
while not without speculative value, often disregard audience measurement
realities.
According to an article by Brad Hill for RAIN newsletter, the
crucial distinction is between unique users and active users. Pandora does not
disclose how it determines a threshold for active usage. But in all traffic and
audience statistics, some level of repeat visitation is needed to turn a unique
visitor into an active user.
By the same token, Apple is not disclosing how many of the
20-million uniques are repeaters.
All repeat visitors are unique within the time period of
their activity. But not all uniques are active with more than one visit. There
is no industry standard for measuring loyalty, or a level of brand stickiness
indicated by active usage.
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