According to Edison Media Research, audio habits and preferences have evolved significantly over the past decade. Share of Ear© is the only research product capable of tracking how Americans aged 13+ allocate their daily audio time over the past ten-plus years. One notable and often overlooked shift in the audio landscape is the move from free streaming platforms to paid subscription services.
Major providers such as Spotify, iHeart, YouTube Music, Amazon, and Pandora offer both free and paid tiers for their streaming music platforms.
In 2015, free platforms accounted for over three-quarters (78%) of the time spent on streaming music sources. This dominance persisted into 2016 but began eroding in favor of paid options starting in 2017. By 2020, paid sources overtook free ones for the first time in the share of time Americans 13+ devoted to streaming music.
Despite minor year-to-year fluctuations, the trend has been clear: listening time has steadily shifted from free to paid platforms. As of 2025, Americans 13+ spend 66% of their streaming music time on paid services and 34% on free ones.
Several factors have driven the mainstream adoption of paid streaming music. These include growing intolerance for advertisements during audio playback, competitive pricing from providers, and the increasing prevalence of subscription models across other media categories.