Terrestrial Radio Remains Tops For Music Listening, But...

In Audio Monitor US 2018, a joint study on music habits in the US, Music Biz and AudienceNet have found most Americans still listen to more music on the radio.  Both organizations surveyed 3,000 consumers in the US aged 16 and above.

On average, Americans spend 151 minutes each day listening to music, reports Digital Music News.  Breaking down total music listening share by medium, broadcast radio had a 31% share, down 3% over last year.  On-demand streaming made up 27%, up just 1% from 2017.  Downloaded music had a 10% total listening share, down 3% over last year, but down only 2% over 2016.

‘Other internet radio’ (Pandora, etc) had a 12% share, up 2% over the past 2 years.  Satellite radio had a 7% total listening share, up 1% over the past 2 years.  And, a growing number of Americans (5%) now spent more time streaming AM/FM radio stations online, up 2% over last year.

On average, older audiences spent the majority of their time listening to music on the radio.

Broadcast radio had the largest share among those aged 45-54 (42%), 55-64 (45%), and 65 and up (45%).  Radio had a significantly lower share among younger people – 30% among 35-44 year olds, and a 27% share among 25-34 year olds.

In a warning sign for the medium, just 12% of groups aged 16-19 and 20-24 reported listening to music on the radio.

Unsurprisingly, on-demand streaming music had the lowest amount of listening time among older age groups.

Just 8% of people aged 65 and older spent time streaming music.  That number rose to 11% among those aged 55-64, and 15% among 45-54 year olds.  24% of 35-44 year olds spent time listening to on-demand streaming music platforms.

Music Biz and AudienceNet also found on-demand streaming music has become the new standard among younger generations.

33% of 25-34 year olds listened to streaming music platforms.  Among 20-24 year olds, on-demand streaming music had a 49% share.  And, a whopping 60% of 16-19 year olds dedicated the majority of their listening time to on-demand streaming.

So, where do people enjoy streaming music from?

Unsurprisingly, with a 38% share, YouTube emerged as the preferred on-demand streaming platform.  Spotify came in second with 28%.  Apple Music and Amazon Prime Music had a 9% and 10% average share, respectively.

Among those aged 65 and over that listened to on-demand streaming, 40% used YouTube.  Spotify had a 13% share.  Amazingly, a whopping 24% reported using Amazon Prime Music.  Only 5% used Apple Music.  Amazon Music Unlimited and Google Play Music had a 4% and 2% share, respectively.  Other net platforms – SoundCloud, Deezer, TIDAL, Napster – had an 11% share.

Interestingly, among younger audiences aged 16-24, at 38%, YouTube tied with Spotify as the preferred on-demand listening.