Social network music, online radio awareness in Q1

According to consumer info reported by The NPD Group, in Q1 with a 30% awareness level among the population of Web users age 13+, AOL Music had the highest overall awareness among online music sites (i.e., online radio and social networking sites with a music orientation). While awareness is extremely important and necessary building block for a site, consumer usage is often a better predictor of longer term sustainability, according to NPD's entertainment industry analyst, Russ Crupnick.

NPD's Music Acquisition Monitor showed that when it comes to actual site usage, Pandora led in Q1 2009 with 41% of aware consumers using this online radio service, followed by MySpace and imeem at 33%; Slacker reached a 17% conversion-to-usage rate in Q1, while AOL Music came in at 13%.

Despite leading in awareness, AOL was not as successful as other sites at getting consumers to use their music service, which either suggests consumers tried it and aren't satisfied with the offering, or that AOL simply needs to do a more compelling job getting consumers to their music pages. MySpaceMusic has a higher conversion rate than AOL, which could help the MySpace franchise provide value and differentiation for entertainment-engaged consumers.

Music-Focused Social Networks and Community Web Sites

Consumer Awareness and Usage

 Source: The NPD Group, 2009