Half of Mac Users Pay to Download Music

New research from the NPD Group finds that 50 percent of Mac users pay to download music, compared to just 16 percent of PC users.

New market research figures from the NPD Group may highlight some of the gap between users of Apple’s Macintosh computers and…well, users of those other systems. According to the NPD Group’s Digital Music Monitor, Macintosh users are considerably more likely to pay to download music, with 50 percent of all Mac users surveyed paying to download music during the third quarter of 2007 compared to just 16 percent of PC users.

“There’s still a cultural divide between Apple consumers and the rest of the computing world, and that’s especially apparent when it comes to the way they interact with music,” said NPD Group VP and entertainment analyst Russ Crupnick, in a statement. “Mac users are not only more active in digital music, they are also more likely to buy CDs, which helps debunk the myth that digital music consumers stop buying music in CD format.”

According to the report, 32 percent of Mac users reported purchasing music CDs during the third quarter of 2007, compared to 28 percent of PC users. Mac users were also found to be more likely to listen to music and watch video on their portable media players (34 percent) and on their computers (56 percent) compared to PC users (16 percent and 31 percent, respectively).

Some industry watchers have speculated that Macintosh users are more likely to buy digital music online because they already have a relationship with Apple, which not only makes Macs but also runs the market-leading iTunes store and manufacturers the popular iPod digital media player. Others speculate the Macintosh user base is somewhat self-selecting, skewing towards students, artists, musicians, and creative professionals who are more likely to participate in online music purchases.