We love to talk about the American Idol flops, the ones that didn’t end up like Kelly Clarkson. But each and every winner – and even early-stage contestant – is playing on one of the largest stages available.  Which also goes for the Grammys, Super Bowl, and any artist lucky enough to score a television sync.

This is a platform that retains a surprising degree of insulation from ruthless media fragmentation, and still delivers a gigantic maintream audience.  And the data on this is pretty staggering.  According to stats compiled by the US Department of Labor, Americans still spend nearly three hours a day watching television (for men 2.94 on average; women 2.53).  That eclipses any other single activity outside of sleeping and work, by a gigantic margin.  And when it comes to other formats and platforms – including games and music – there’s nothing that commands such focused attention.

This is all part of the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), a year-long canvass that involves more than 13,000 Americans over the age of 15 (raw data here; more on methodology here).

So where’s music?  It’s actually nowhere to be found in this survey, though that doesn’t mean listening is low.  Instead, this survey tracks the primary activity only, not background music or other multi-tasking habits.  Which also seems to speak volumes: most Americans are not sitting around listening to music in a focused fashion, at least outside of concert experiences.

Also a surprise – at least to the sleep-deprived parent, entrepreneur, or hard-charging CEO – is that most Americans easily get more than 8 hours of sleep a night.  Which also means that nearly half the day is consumed by sleep and television. –Digital Music News