Brandwave

How popular isSoundCloud?

In September 2026, people searched for SoundCloud by name about 42,400 times in New Zealand, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 8.9% of all New Zealand music streaming service searches, placing SoundCloud third out of seven services. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about music streaming services, SoundCloud appeared in one of the five answers and was the fifth most recommended of the seven.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

SoundCloud is the third most searched of 7 competitors and the fifth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. SpotifyShare of searches 64.8%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. YouTube MusicShare of searches 23.4%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  3. SoundCloudShare of searches 8.9%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  4. Apple MusicShare of searches 2.1%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  5. Amazon MusicShare of searches 0.41%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th

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Top music streaming services in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, SoundCloud was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. SoundCloud is the fifth most recommended of the seven.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Spotify1st
  2. Apple Music2nd
  3. YouTube Music3rd
  4. Tidal4th
  5. SoundCloud5th
  6. Amazon Music6th
  7. Deezer–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Spotify5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • YouTube Music4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Apple Music4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Tidal4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • SoundCloud1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Amazon Music1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Deezer0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about music streaming services

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Which music streaming services compete with SoundCloud?

SoundCloud against music streaming services in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Spotify, YouTube Music, SoundCloud, Apple Music. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthSpotifyYouTube MusicSoundCloudApple MusicAmazon MusicDeezerTidal
Oct 202567.3%20%9.3%2.2%0.49%0.31%0.33%
Nov 202567.6%20.1%9.3%2.2%0.43%0.24%0.2%
Dec 202564.6%23.2%8.9%2.1%0.59%0.27%0.38%
Jan 202661.6%26.8%8.6%1.7%0.58%0.32%0.34%
Feb 202669%20.4%7.8%1.9%0.44%0.21%0.2%
Mar 202668.8%20.3%7.8%2.3%0.45%0.2%0.16%
Apr 202664.6%23.3%8.9%2.1%0.6%0.28%0.26%
May 202669.1%20.2%7.8%1.9%0.56%0.2%0.18%
Jun 202668.8%20.1%8%2.3%0.46%0.17%0.13%
Jul 202664.8%23.1%8.9%2.2%0.54%0.29%0.18%
Aug 202664.6%23.2%8.8%2.6%0.42%0.21%0.15%
Sep 202664.8%23.4%8.9%2.1%0.41%0.21%0.14%

  1. 1.Spotify

    64.8%

    Held 1st. 310K estimated branded searches, -0.55% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.

  2. 2.YouTube Music

    23.4%

    Held 2nd. 112K estimated branded searches, -0.03% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.

  3. 3.SoundCloud

    8.9%

    Held 3rd. 42.4K estimated branded searches, -0.47% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  4. 4.Apple Music

    2.1%

    Held 4th. 10.2K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.5 points.

  5. 5.Amazon Music

    0.41%

    Held 5th. 2K estimated branded searches, -2.5% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  6. 6.Deezer

    0.21%

    Held 6th. 980 estimated branded searches, -3% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  7. 7.Tidal

    0.14%

    Held 7th. 680 estimated branded searches, -5.6% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between SoundCloud and its closest rivals

Every comparison with SoundCloud

6 comparisons

How has branded search demand for SoundCloud changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months?

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for SoundCloud in New Zealand held steady, from 43K to 42.4K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, SoundCloud’s share of searches among music streaming services in New Zealand peaked at 9.3% in October 2025 and was lowest at 7.8% in March 2026.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand music streaming services in September 2026?

4 changes

  1. YouTube Music’s share of searches among music streaming services in New Zealand has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 20.1% to 23.4% in September 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Tidal in New Zealand fell 55.3% over 12 measured months, from 1.5K to 680 in September 2026.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for Deezer in New Zealand fell 30.5% over 12 measured months, from 1.4K to 980 in September 2026.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for Amazon Music in New Zealand fell 12% over 12 measured months, from 2.3K to 2K in September 2026.

How are SoundCloud’s branded searches counted?

11 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using SoundCloud’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • cloud soundcloud
  • dl from soundcloud
  • soundcloud
  • soundcloud app
  • soundcloud c
  • soundcloud downloader
  • soundcloud for artists
  • soundcloud go
  • soundcloud music
  • soundcloud promotion
  • soundcloud rap

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