Thursday, January 30, 2025

In-Car Listening Report: Radio Listeners Favor Solo Artists


DTS, Inc., a global leader in next-generation audio and a wholly owned subsidiary of Xperi Inc. has released the Top Most Listened-To Songs In-Vehicle for Q4 2024 based on data gathered by the DTS AutoStage Broadcaster Portal.

“It certainly has been an interesting year for in-vehicle listening. From artists crossing genres to the impressive breakouts of TikTok artists almost eclipsing veteran hitmakers, these lists are just a fraction of the range of insights in-car listening data can provide”

Not surprisingly, the popularity of the top four songs on the U.S. list was reinforced with 2025 Grammy nominations for each. In addition, the Post Malone and Morgan Wallen country collaboration “I Had Some Help,” which placed at #3 on the U.K. list, also scored a nomination, as did Teddy Swims (for Best New Artist), who regained a spot in the U.S. and the U.K. top five lists with “Lose Control” after dropping off the list in Q3. The fourth quarter also saw the return of big-name artists to the top five, including Billie Eilish, Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga.

Xperi also highlighted the top five most listened-to songs in-vehicle for the year overall, which underscored the year’s key trends:

Genre diversity – no one genre dominated the 2024 top five lists

  • Solo artists – bands and groups were nowhere to be seen in the top five rankings, reflecting a broader industry trend
  • Newcomers/breakout artists – powerful presences almost eclipsed veteran hitmakers like Swift and Beyoncé
  • Crossing genres – multiple artists fluidly transitioned between genres, especially between rap and country

“It certainly has been an interesting year for in-vehicle listening. From artists crossing genres to the impressive breakouts of TikTok artists almost eclipsing veteran hitmakers, these lists are just a fraction of the range of insights in-car listening data can provide,” said Joe D’Angelo, senior vice president of broadcast at Xperi. “The full range of in-car listening data can be a game-changer for broadcasters with its window into real-time listening patterns, duration and station switching behavior. It can help broadcasters better understand their listeners’ true preferences during their daily commutes and road trips, enabling them to optimize programming schedules, refine their content mix and deliver more engaging experiences that keep listeners tuned in longer.”


Genre diversity

The year’s top five U.S., U.K. and global lists reinforced that no one genre rules when it comes to in-vehicle listeners. Top songs in 2024 fused genres, from Beyoncé’s country/pop/western/soul hit “Texas Hold ‘Em,” to Teddy Swims’ soul/rock offering “Lose Control,” to Tyla’s amapiano/R&B song “Water” and everything in between.

🎵Solo artists: Solo artists ruled the 2024 top five lists each quarter and for the entire year, with no bands or groups appearing, and just two collaborations making the top five in Q3 and Q4: the Post Malone / Morgan Wallen country hit “I Had Some Help” and the soft rock song “Die With a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. This reflects a key industry trend where social media, branding and promotion, as well as the latest technology advancements in music production, are perhaps most effective for individual artists versus bands and groups.

🎵Newcomers/breakout artists: While songs from megastars Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars ranked in the top five lists in 2024, newcomers such as Sabrina Carpenter, Shaboozey and Teddy Swims — all of whom are up for the Best New Artist Grammy — held their spots longer in the top five quarterly lists. For instance, Taylor Swift’s song “Cruel Summer” broke the top five U.S. and global lists in Q1 only, while Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” appeared on the U.S., U.K. and/or global top five lists for three consecutive quarters in 2024 (Q2, Q3 and Q4). Carpenter also had the most appearances in Xperi’s 2024 top five quarterly lists, appearing seven times. Additionally, hit songs from Teddy Swims, Shaboozey and Sabrina Carpenter ranked in the top three for the full year in the U.S. and globally.

🎵Crossing genres: Genres did not necessarily confine 2024’s artists. Rappers Post Malone and Shaboozey, as well as cross-genre Queen Bey, made big moves with country hits: “Texas Hold ‘Em” by Beyoncé, “I Had Some Help” by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen, and “Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey all ranked in the top five most listened-to songs across various quarters in 2024* with Shaboozey’s song ranking at #2 for the full year in the U.S. and globally. Meanwhile, Luke Combs’ country rendition of Tracy Chapman’s folk/rock “Fast Car,” and Jelly Roll’s crossover from rap to country with songs like “I Am Not Okay” and “Save Me” were key examples of this year’s trend.

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