The Escalating Music Consumption

85% of music consumption today is happening on-line.

Bridge Ratings has completed it’s twice-yearly study on music consumers now clearly categorized into five cohorts based on attitude, awareness and consumption of music.

And as on-demand streaming has become a mainstream behavior all demographics and generations are partaking and consuming.

In the earliest days of streaming platforms such as Pandora, Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon, 15-30 year olds dominated the usage profile. Since 2020 however, older demographics are joining in with regular multi-day consumption. And as of 2021, MRC reports that catalogue music (music released more than 18 months ago) was 69% of all music consumed online. Pre-2010 music is in greatest demand with songs released prior to 1990 right behind.

With Bridge Ratings music analysis tool, StreamStats, we have seen this number at a higher level in 2022.

In fact, for contemporary music stations such as Top 40, Rhythmic and Country – even R&B/Hip-Hop, songs ranked lower than #50 on radio station playlists are showing much shorter lifecycles, i.e., once released, if they don’t collect increasing consumption within the first three weeks of release, the song collapses and fades. Less than 25% of the current or new songs released this year, have sustained any consumption momentum.

Radio stations would be better off adding one legitimate “hit” a month, rather than adding multiple songs weekly, most of which their audiences have little or no interest in.

Driving consumption of music these days are five distinct groups of consumers:

1. Aggressive discoverers (8.5% of total) are the heaviest consumers of music and spend over six hours per week listening to music. Streaming affinity: 9. Download affinity: 7. Affinity to purchase songs or concert tickets: 8. Music discovery: 9

2. Active Aficionados (18%) spend the second-most amount of weekly time (6+ hours) listening to music. Streaming affinity: 8. Download affinity: 6. Purchase affinity: 6. Music discovery: 8.

3. Early Mass Listeners (38%) are the largest group in this study and listen to at least four hours of music a week in a variety of ways. This group, in general, is aware of their favorite artist’s new music and concert tours and are likely candidates for purchasing concert tickets more than downloading music files. Streaming affinity: 7. Download affinity: 4. Purchase affinity: 7. Music discovery: 6.

4. Average Music Consumers (28%) spend at least three hours actively listening to music through streaming, downloaded files or from their own libraries but are somewhat likely to purchase concert tickets. Streaming affinity: 5. Download affinity: 4. Purchase affinity: 5. Music discovery: 4.

5. Drive-by Consumers (8%) activity listen to music at least two hours total per week but get their music ‘fix’ primarily through broadcast radio. They are aware of streaming and do so primarily at their work location, rarely download or purchase music. Streaming affinity: 3. Download affinity: 2. Purchase affinity: 4. Music discovery: 2.

On-demand Streaming and Radio

Questions broadcast radio programmers should be asking:

• Is my audience streaming music?

• Should I care if my audience is consuming music this way?

• Is their consumption of music through streaming complementary to my station?

• Why is music streaming important today?

• Why does my audiences’ list of top streaming songs differ from my top airplay list?

• What implications are there when my most played list differs from my top On-demand streaming songs?

• How can I leverage this valuable data to engage my audience?

Bridge Ratings has been analyzing streaming data to better understand radio listener music streaming consumption.

In today’s world of on-demand music consumption, media professionals finally have help in determining how music streaming data can reengage their listeners for more occasions of listening and higher time-spent-listening.

What’s So Special About Music Streaming Data?

We are discovering an increasing amount of evidence that suggests that the relationship between on-demand on-line music streaming is closely related to broadcast radio airplay metrics and if properly implemented, music streaming behavior research can improve listener expectations and use.

It’s all part of the equation of understanding music consumption today.

On-demand = immediate consumption.

Immediate consumption information = fresher playlists.

Airplay vs Streaming

One unique aspect of Bridge Ratings’ streaming data for radio is the way it reveals weaknesses in song exposure. This graphic displays rank variances by format of charting songs. The longer the color bars (format) the greater the discrepancy in streaming consumption by format core listeners vs. airplay.

Some broadcast stations that have begun to implement a coordinated airplay, digital song sales and streaming consumption recipe have seen the number of listening occasions increase as well as time-spent-listening and listener engagement.

Keeping It Fresh

Rather than music research conducted once or twice yearly, fresh music streaming information daily or weekly has given some programmers an effective tool in freshening playlists.

Technology has enlightened and empowered music consumers. Their ability to enjoy a huge variety of music titles and styles has been greatly enhanced which has led to their controlling what they hear. Waiting three to six months to freshen playlists once an audience music test has been fielded has yielded stale listening experiences and deterioration of time spent with a radio station.

Weekly freshening based in on-demand streaming experience boosts the listener experience which includes using their favorite radio station as an aid to determine which songs to stream, download or purchase.

This new relationship between digital music consumer and their favorite broadcast radio station heralds another step forward in improving the listener experience.

And as the consumption of music continues to accelerate, broadcast radio can only benefit by paying closer attention to the music that interests their listeners on demand.

For more information contact Dave Van Dyke at Bridge Ratings. 323.696.0967 or at dvd@bridgeratings.com.

Additional insight into on-demand music streaming can be found here: http://goo.gl/vjkln5