The Swedish tech company leads the way worldwide in terms of active users, downloads and revenue, the analytics firm finds.

Yet, Pandora Radio still takes the top spot in the US with its interactive radio service, while new opportunities are growing and being served by other players, particularly in Asian-Pacific markets where local content puts regional players ahead of global giants.

In particular, Line Music and AWA Music have shown enormous potential in Japan, while Saavn and Gaana are growing rapidly in India.

Overall, the market for streaming apps continues to grow. In fact, the top streaming apps worldwide saw data consumption per active Android phone user grow by about 25% year-on-year, while downloads increased by around 15% and revenue from in-app purchases more than doubled.

Europe is home to three of the world’s biggest streaming apps -- Spotify, SoundCloud and Deezer -- that dominate the region’s landscape.

Traditional FM radio networks are also finding some traction with apps, potentially providing a model that networks in other markets can replicate, according to App Annie.

Also of note, mixtape streaming apps are also on the rise, highlighting the value users place in new music discovery, and the potential for genre-specific streaming apps.

Following its acquisition of digital music service Rdio, Pandora appears to be gearing up for a battle with Spotify, YouTube, and Apple for their paid streaming customers.