THE SMARTPHONE REVOLUTION

There is some interesting information to be peeled away from The Infinite Dial, a consumer research project co-produced by Edison Research and Triton Digital that has been annually tracking the listening habits and trends of American teens and adults since 1998.

The sample size of the 2016 report is considerable—2000 participants age 12 and older who were phone-surveyed in January and February of this year. The survey topics focused on Media & Technology, Online Radio, Audio Brands, Music Discovery, Podcasting, In-Car Media, and Social.

Among the key findings are that a staggering 93% of people age 12-24 own a smartphone, while ownership of a physical radio has declined steadily over the last eight years. In that period the percentage of respondents who don’t own a radio has grown from 4% to 21%, and among younger Americans (18-34), the non-ownership number is at 32%.

Meanwhile, 50% of Americans listen to online radio weekly — accessed predominantly via mobile. That’s a projected 136-million people. As smartphone ownership rises, online listening has consistently risen in tandem with it across all demos.

Pandora is the most recognized audio brand with Americans now, with 82% of respondents aware of the service. Apple Music was second with 67%, followed by iHeartRadio (65%), Spotify (52%), and Amazon Music (51%) rounding out the Top 5.

But Spotify was the big winner in terms of growth for usage, jumping from 10% in 2015 to 14% in 2016. Pandora wins with usage too, although they are down this year, dropping from 54% in 2015 to 48% this year. Apple Music was also on an uptick, rising from 8% to 10%. But iHeartRadio showed some erosion with usage, dropping from 11% to 9%.

What about YouTube? Oh they still rule, especially in the music discovery lane. 86% of the 12-24 segment said they use YouTube to keep up to date with music, with Friends/Family coming in second at 74%, AM/FM third with 58%, Pandora nearly tied at 57%, and while Facebook rounds out the Top 5 with 44%, Spotify is right behind them at 43%.

The place where FM Radio still rules however is the car, far and away #1 with 84% of the total audience using AM/FM while driving. But incredibly, the CD has not died, despite the music industry’s insistence on killing it. It was the #2 most-used audio source in the car at 56%. Satellite Radio in comparison, was only at 19%.

But there’s a contingency as we peer through these numbers; Edison Research did find that only 12% of cars driven by survey respondents were equipped with an in-dash infotainment system. So as cars modernize, in-car streaming will become an easier choice. The competition has truly just started.