Skip to main content

Radio still beats digital for music discovery

radio stations music royalty bill old
Image used with permission by copyright holder
With such an abundance of digital music services to choose from — iTunes, Spotify, YouTube et al — you might think radio’s days are numbered, but it’s still the number one way that we discover new music, according to the latest statistics released by Nielsen.

The data shows that 51 percent of music consumers in the U.S. find new tunes through radio, with 243 million of adults aged 12 and over tuning in every week. The figures have been tweaked slightly, with online radio streams bundled in with traditional car stereos and AM/FM sets, but it still leaves the venerable radio station as the most popular way of finding new music.

Recommended Videos

The music discovery figures were released as part of Nielsen’s full report on our entertainment habits throughout 2014. Pop Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR) and Country were the two most popular music formats on radio, while vinyl sales enjoyed another record-breaking year — it seems that traditional ways of listening to music aren’t quite dead yet.

If you spent $109 on music in 2014 then you’re bang on the average for U.S. consumers, according to Nielsen. Listening in the car remains the most common way of enjoying music, taking a 23 percent share, with listening while working (at home or in the office) in second place on 16 percent. Putting music on remains the number one entertainment activity for people in the U.S. — it even knocks watching television into second place.

Streaming music platforms grew steadily throughout the year — audio-on-demand services saw a 60.5 percent jump in usage, with video-on-demand growing 49.3 percent — and as you would expect, the number of listeners on mobile devices rose again. Finally, the number one album in terms of consumption across all formats? The soundtrack to Disney’s Frozen, of course.

[Header image courtesy of BrAt82 / Shutterstock.com]

Topics
David Nield
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Dave is a freelance journalist from Manchester in the north-west of England. He's been writing about technology since the…
Beat the boredom with a free three-month Apple Music subscription
Apple Music

Looking for a source of free music to make working from home a little more bearable? How does a free three-month subscription to Apple Music sound? That's what Apple is offering to new subscribers of its music-streaming service, which is home to more than 60 million tracks. There's no obligation to continue using the service at the end of the trial period, either: Cancel before the intended billing date and you won't be charged a dime.

Since launching in 2015, Apple Music has fast become the best-loved music-streaming service in the United States, beating off Swedish rival Spotify in the region. The secret to its success? Exclusive content and human-run radio stations. It can also be controlled through Siri, with the voice assistant able to understand (and execute) commands like "Play Dance Monkey by Tones and I" and "Play the best-selling hip-hop song from November 2001."

Read more
Our favorite folding Samsung smartphone is 25% off for Prime Day
The open Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 smartphone is a cutting-edge, AI-enabled smartphone and tablet that you can put in your pocket. If you’ve been eyeing one, you can take $500 off during Prime Big Deal Days on October 8 and 9.

While the 6.2-inch external display is the same size as the screen on the iPhone 15, unfolding the device reveals an impressive 7.3-inch internal display — all at a 25% discount.

Read more
Vivo just teased its Galaxy S25 competitor, and it looks great
Vivo X200 series.

We're in the season of smartphone announcements, and it's the most wonderful time of year. The Vivo X200 series is on its way (less than a week, if it sticks to the expected October 14 launch date), but we haven't seen much about it yet. Today, Vivo released its first series promo video, showing how much work has gone into making these phones look fantastic.

https://twitter.com/yabhishekhd/status/1843516229870670125

Read more