Music Industry

How Do You Listen to Music? It Depends on How Old You Are

A new study by Morning Consult reveals some interesting data on the music consumption habits of Americans. The topline result is that methods of consumption differ with age. And although I have no data about how Canadians listen to music, you’d have to think that they’re not far off.

The typical American between 18 and 29 get their music this way:

  • Pandora – 28%
  • Spotify – 23%
  • AM/FM Radio – 14%
  • Purchased Music – 11%
  • Apple Music – 7%
  • Google Play – 5%
  • iHeartRadio – 4%
  • Amazon Prime – 4%
  • Tidal – 1%

Notice that CDs (or any purchased music, including iTunes) are nowhere on the list. For this age group, streaming is king. Now let’s skip to the 55-64 group.

  • AM/FM Radio – 49%
  • Purchased Music – 18%
  • Pandora – 13%
  • Amazon Prime – 4%
  • Google Play – 3%
  • Spotify – 2%
  • iHeart Radio – 2%
  • Apple Music – 1%
  • Tidal – 0%

Note that Canadians don’t have access to Pandora and we’ve only Spotify for a couple of years, so I’d guess that the use of radio runs somewhat higher.

For more analysis, go to Vintage Vinyl News.

 

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 38025 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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