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Music Listening Shifting Again |
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By
Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, January 11, 2006 |
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While Microsoft is certainly drawing lots of attention with its recent
entry into online music named Urge, newly released research from
MetaFacts indicates that Home PC users have already changed how they
acquire and enjoy music. Music downloading has dropped again while Home
PCs are growing as a music hub. The data behind this trend is based on a
survey of 4,953 respondents to the 2005 edition of Technology User
Profile.
Why is this important?
Music continues to tantilize many as a next hot consumer technology
application. Yet, as the computer industry, consumer electronics
industry, music retailers, recording industry, lawyers, and artists all
wrestle for control, consumers continue to evolve and shift their
behaviors.
Overall, when asked about online/Internet behavior in the home within
the past 30 days, downloading music or MP3s declined to 18.7% of Home
PCs in 2005 from 20.5% in 2004, continuing the downward trend from 24.2%
in 2003.
Despite decreased downloading, music is still important to home PC
owners. During the same time music downloading has subsided, listening
to music offline and listening to streaming audio or Internet radio has
skyrocketed from below 20% to nearly 30%. Using Home PCs to listen to
music not on the Internet is 28.7% of Home PCs in 2005, up from 20.1% in
2004. Similarly, using Home PCs to listen to streaming audio or Internet
radio expanded to 26.6% in 2005 from 18.1% the year before.
Acquiring music online is strongest among the young. Teenagers remain as
one key segment of the market for online music. Downloading is strongest
among this critical group standing at 27.9% of Home PCs in homes with
kids between the ages of 13-19.
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Music Activity Trends on
Home PCs
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2005 |
2004 |
2003 |
2002 |
2001 |
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Download
music or MP3s |
18.7% |
20.5% |
24.2% |
27.7% |
26.7% |
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Listen
to music not on Internet (MP3, CD) |
28.7% |
20.1% |
* |
* |
* |
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Listen
to streaming audio or Internet radio |
26.6% |
18.1% |
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* |
* |
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(% of
Home PCs, * = not on survey) |
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Source:
MetaFacts Technology User Profile 2005 Annual Edition |
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Another interesting note for the
future, homes with Home PCs and kids ages 3 to
12 are also an active group, with 24.5% of these
Home PCs being used to download music. This
contrasts markedly with 2-adult homes without
children, where downloading is lowest at 15.7%
of Home PCs.
If Microsoft can expand on
Apple’s iPod and iTunes’ success, it may help
grow the entire market. The new attention might
restore confidence to consumers scared off by
legal actions of the recording industry. Making
great music easily, widely, and reasonably
accessible could help revitalize music
downloading and let the computer industry play a
more significant role in music industry.
Perhaps
Microsoft’s entry will even spark enough
interest to encourage more adults to join in the
fun, so it’s not just for kids.
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For a PDF copy of this web page, the complimentary version of this TUPdate,
including the Table of Contents for the complete TUPdate, please
follow this link. |
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Background & Methodology |
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Factual, decision-making information like this is
only found in one place, the Technology User Profile from MetaFacts. The
Technology User Profile market research information service is based on
extensive primary research selected and balanced to represent the American
population - including technology users and non-technology users. Drawn from
more than 10,000 surveys per year reporting on over 250 questions, it is the
longest-running, most comprehensive total market technology study available. TUPdates are brief
summaries of information contained in the Technology User Profile.
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