Nearly four in 10 (38%) internet radio listeners discover music on their own on internet radio stations, which is just behind discovery via a broadcast AM/FM station (42%), and ahead of TV (27%), according to [pdf] a white paper released in October 2011 by TargetSpot. Data from “The Role of Digital Audio in the Evolution of Music Discovery” indicates that socially, recommendations from friends and colleagues are most relied upon (25%), as are music charts, playlists and top rated songs on internet radio websites.
Social networking sites (10%) and other social media sources such as internet radio station blogs (6%) and blogs on music-related websites (4%) are less popular.
8 in 10 Web Radio Listeners Engage 1-3 Hours a Day
Internet radio listeners show high levels of engagement, as 80% listen to internet radio one to three hours a day. Another 73% change web radio stations multiple times a day, and 59% don’t keep their internet radio player minimized during their session. In addition, almost half (46%) often look at the player to see the name of a song or artist.
Web Radio Promotes Digital Music Purchases
Among digital audio listeners who have purchased music, nearly 70% did so after hearing the song or album on an internet radio station. Sixty-five percent of these listeners said that the internet radio website made it easier for them to purchase music.
Two-thirds (67%) of digital music purchasers prefer to purchase music directly from a retailer such as Amazon.com or iTunes, while 48% prefer to click on a link on an internet radio website. The research also shows that 32% of digital audio listeners overall buy an individual song and 22% purchase an entire album.
Web Radio Listeners Share, Seek Opinions
On their own, 57% of digital audio listeners search for new music and 52% search for artist or band information. However, digital audio listeners also actively share and seek opinions. 42% rate songs, 38% recommend a station, artist/band or song and 29% link their music profile to social networks.
In addition to voicing their own opinions, digital audio listeners are very interested in recommendations from others. More than a third review station recommendation lists, 33% review music charts, 32% of listeners look at what others are listening to and 29% join music-related forums.
Internet Radio Increases Online, Broadcast Ad Effectiveness
Internet radio users are more engaged both online and with broadcast radio, and are also more likely to respond to and recall online and broadcast advertising, according to an April 2011 white paper from TargetSpot and Parks Associates. Data from the “Internet Radio Advertising & Impact Study” indicates 49% of internet radio users spend 22 or more hours online per week, compared to 43% of non-internet radio users.
In addition, internet radio users have a slightly higher rate of using the internet one to seven hours per week (9% compared to 8%) and lower rates of using the internet eight to 14 hours and 15 to 21 hours weekly.
About the Data: TargetSpot Digital Audio Usage Trends: A Highly Engaged Listenership is an online survey of broadband households in the United States. The study fielded December 22-30, 2010. The sample population included 1,000 adults (18 and older) who listen to internet radio at least once a month to daily.
