IFPI has released its 2017 Music Consumer Insight Report, “Connecting With Music,” which looks at the ways fans are engaging with recorded music across 13 of the world’s leading music markets. The report reveals that more Americans are streaming music on smartphones, but the numbers don’t match those in other countries. In the States, the rise has been from 54% in 2016 to 63% this year. That lags behind Mexico (77% to 91%), Brazil (69% to 85%), and South Korea (75% to 80%). Three other countries – Italy, Spain, and Sweden – also pipped the U.S.
Other highlights of the report:
• Music consumers employ multiple methods of listening to licensed music: Purchasing physical copies of music or paid downloads (44%), audio streaming services (45%), video streaming services (75%), radio (87%).
• Fans worldwide are increasingly engaged with audio streaming: Globally, 45% are listening through a licensed audio streaming service (up from 37% in 2016). Ninety percent of paid audio streamers listen to music using a smartphone.
• Young fans remain highly engaged with music despite an abundance of competing media: 13–15 year-olds are highly engaged with music, with 85% using streaming services.
• The “Value Gap” persists: User upload video services, such as YouTube, account for the majority of on-demand streaming time yet do not return fair value to the music community. Eighty-five percent of YouTube visitors use the site for music each month, and 76% of YouTube visitors use it for music already known to them.
• Copyright infringement remains a significant issue, with stream-ripping the top source: 40% of consumers access unlicensed music, including 35% who stream-rip music – 53% among 16-24 year-olds.
