A recent study has found that Internet radio listenership is on the rise — and while digital device usage may have something to do with this increase, it’s harder to pinpoint social media’s role.
The study, commissioned by the digital audio advertising network TargetSpot, found that 42% of U.S. households with broadband Internet listen to Internet radio.
That’s not to say that listening to regular radio — that is, the stuff on an AM/FM station — is in decline. More than half (65%) of broadcast radio listeners spend the same amount of time listening as do internet radio users. But there is one key exception: There was a steep decline in broadcast listenership among adults aged 18 to 24.
Nearly half of those surveyed (47%) spend less time listening to broadcast radio this year than they did one year ago.
The study also found a whopping 87% increase in tablet ownership among Internet radio listeners, and a 22% increase in smartphone ownership — which suggests that these digital devices may in part be responsible for the increased listenership. With more ways to listen, people are simply utilizing the gadgets they own.
Compared to last year, 48% of respondents spend more time listening to Internet radio on a tablet device, and 38% spent more time listening on a mobile device.
The percentage of people polled who listen to Internet radio on a computer or laptop hasn’t decreased by any means — the study found a 44% increase among listeners compared to last year. But the location of where people are listening might have something to do with this. More than half of those surveyed (53%) reported listening via computer or laptop while at work.
Considering many online music platforms have social integration features — Pandora, Spotify and Last.fm are just a few — the survey’s other top finding may come as no surprise: Internet radio listeners are social. At the same time they are listening online, 60% of respondents reported visiting social networking sites.
However, whether or not people are being social online with their music profiles specifically is harder to pinpoint from the results. Only 35% actually link their Internet radio profile to a social network. And just because some people do this doesn’t necessarily mean they want to know what others are listening to, or want other people to know what they’re listening to as well, for that matter.
Only about a third (32%) like to see this music information from their friends or followers on social networks, and only 27% reported liking that others can see and comment on their listening habits.
Moreover, although the study reported in person music recommendations decreased by 29%, the trend toward digital recommendations — sharing via email, text message or posting a link on a social network — experienced only very marginal increases in the past year (two to four percent).
