Source: www.insideradio.com, October 2022
A majority of Americans aged 13 and older listen to broadcast radio for music, but how and what people are listening to is evolving according to a new study from Luminate. It says that even as some of the biggest genres still garner the most listeners, “global genres” are gaining traction fast.
Broadly speaking, music listening continues to rate among the highest for top entertainment activities, competing closely with movies. Luminate says 71% of Americans aged 13 and older surveyed during August and September said they had listened to music within the past 12 months. That is down four points from earlier this year when three-quarters said they had. Music listening is on par with the number who said they went out to eat.
But as the pandemic recovery continues, and there are more entertainment options available, Luminate says the amount of time people are spending with music has declined. The average music listener spends 12.4 hours with music per week in the last latest survey. That is down ten percent from the 13.8 hours recorded during Luminate’s survey during the first half of the year. And it is down from 14.0 hours in 2021.
That is having an impact on radio. While a majority (57%) of music listeners said they listen to AM/FM radio each month, that is down from the Luminate survey taken during the first half. And it is not just broadcast radio. The data shows satellite radio has dipped as well, with 18% of music listeners saying they listen to SiriusXM on a monthly basis.
But while the AM/FM numbers ticked lower, Luminate says listening to radio station web streams has grown since last year with nearly three in ten (27%) of those surveyed reporting they listen to radio content via the web rather than the over-air signal on a monthly basis. It is also worth noting that the Luminate numbers do not include spoken-word radio listening, and Nielsen has consistently found AM/FM reaching about 90% of Americans each month.
The shift of radio listening to online platforms is not surprising considering a larger trend seen among music consumption. Luminate says streaming of both audio and video has also become “essential” to the music listening experience, both as a format and source of discovery and news. “Audio/video streaming has become as ubiquitous as radio,” its report says.
Nearly two-thirds (64%) said they watch streaming music videos online, closely followed by 63% who said they listen to streaming audio.
Still, radio reigns supreme among listeners 50 and older where 84% of Gen Xers and 82% of Baby Boomers say they listen to music radio each month. Among the oldest Americans, Luminate says 81% of the so-called Silent Generation listen to AM/FM radio each month and a third have picked up the audio streaming habit.
Oldies ranks second with 41% saying they listen to the genre. “Despite a constant desire for new entertainment, nearly all listeners tune into catalogs of their favorite artists,” the report points out. In third place is hip-hop with 40%, followed by a three-way tie for fourth place with 37% of people saying they listen to top 40, R&B and country.
“Even though some of the biggest genres still garner the most listeners, global genres are gaining traction fast,” says Luminate. When stacked up against its 2021 survey, 17% more listeners said they are listening to Latin music and 12% say they are listening to more K-Pop.
The mainline radio formats are nearly all down, however, with half of those surveyed saying they are listening to less rock, 41% listening to fewer oldies, 37% listening to less pop music, and 37% listening to less country than a year ago. Declines were also recorded for genres including classical, jazz and easy listening.
