CMA Research Study Reveals Listening Behavior

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The Country Music Association announced the results from its recent Music Listening Study this week.

Highlights of the findings reveal 87% of country music fans are listening to country radio stations as much or more than a year ago with 18-24 year olds being twice as likely to listen to more Country Music than the previous year. Loyalty is a top influencer, as evidenced by 75% of listeners reporting they have listened to the same station for years.

While AM/FM car radio remains the top source, 74% of fans are also listening to music online via a desktop or laptop computer, ranking it 2nd, and preferring Pandora over Spotify at a ratio of nearly 2 to 1.

Country Music listeners use both terrestrial and online radio radio outlets as their primary source for new artist and song discovery followed by music video channels.

Regarding future purchases, nearly 30% of respondents plan to purchase more Country Music by means of digital tracks, digital CDs, and physical CDs in the next 12 months.

The survey was conducted online with a random sample of 1,109 respondents aged 18+ from the CMA Insider Fan Panel, a group of more than 13,000 Country Music fans. Respondents were queried on their favorite methods to purchase and listen to music and discover new artists and songs, as well as their loyalty to the genre.

CMA’s research reports are a benefit of CMA membership and complete findings of this and previous studies are available on CMA’s members-only website.

Sherod Robertson
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