Streaming Audio in the Us is Responsible for Only 34% of Listening

So, what format accounts for most of the music listening? According to the report, it is AM/FM radio, a format preferred by 36% of the US population. However, the findings have also revealed that radio’s popularity has fallen one point compared to the previous year, suggesting that it’s slowly losing traction in the face of music streaming.

Digital streaming providers (DSPs), including Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, and Tidal, come second, accounting for the 20% mentioned before. YouTube and, subsequently, YouTube Music are considered an individual category that takes the 3rd place in audio consumption.

Podcasts come right after YouTube, garnering around 11% of time listened. The continuously rising success of podcasts can be attributed to Spotify’s recent focus on expanding the podcast space. Meanwhile, the satellite radio provider SiriusXM was responsible for 8% of audio listening, followed by owned music (4%) and TV music channels (3%). The low percentage of music consumption through owned music suggests that while physical formats have been prospering in sales, they have little to no impact on people’s listening habits.

Audiobooks and Other took the last positions in the ranking, respectively. Audiobooks accounted for just 3% of total audio listening, which might be either a shock or ‘challenge accepted’ for Audible or Spotify, which aims to target the market next.