Radio remains leading source of music

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Media system in a vehicleNo other delivery system can top radio when it comes to bringing music to the people of the USA and Canada. Researchers at Vision Critical note that listening habits are definitely changing, but not at the expense of broadcast.


Vision Critical asked respondents how they accessed music in the past week, and found that 63% of Americans and 70% of Canadians had used the radio. Second place went to the good old compact disc, with 41% and 40% citing the CD respectively.

The use of YouTube is significant – it received affirmatives from 36% and 43% of respondents, but it is still far below radio’s level. VC notes that it is extremely popular with the 18-34 demographic however, with a usage rate at the two-thirds level.

Internet streaming failed to reach the one-third mark in either country, and 20% is still a somewhat distant goal for Sirius XM.

“We are seeing that music and in fact, radio itself are shifting platforms. This is not necessarily at the expense of broadcast radio but as a result of the expanding array of music platform choices,” said Jeff Vidler, senior vice president of media and entertainment at Vision Critical. “Radio still plays a key role in keeping its listeners connected, but digital options are clearly moving into the pure music position.”

Here’s a look at VC’s results, broken down by music platform and nation:

Audio type USA Canada
AM/FM radio 63% 70%
CD 41% 40%
MP3 32% 40%
YouTube 36% 43%
Internet 29% 22%
TV subscription svc 16% 19%
SiriusXM 15% 11%
Cassette 5% 3%
Vinyl 3% 4%
Source: Vision Critical  

RBR-TVBR observation: This writer has used quite a few of these media in the past week – FM, CD, MP3, YouTube and vinyl. But no satellite or streaming. Just for the record.