IFPI: 86% music listening streamed
October 11, 2018
According to the IFPI – the organisation that promotes the interests of the international recording industry worldwide – 86 per cent of music listening is through on-demand streaming, but more than one-third of consumers obtain music through infringing methods.
The IFPI’s Music Consumer Insight Report 2018 examines the ways in which music consumers aged 16-64 engage with recorded music across 20 of the world’s largest music markets.
Report highlights:
- Music is an integral part of our lives: On average, we each enjoy music for 17.8 hours per week, with the car being the most popular listening location
- Streaming is virtually ubiquitous: 86 per cent of us listen to music through on-demand streaming. Young music consumers are most engaged streamers, with 57 per cent of 16-24 year olds using a paid audio streaming service.
- Consumer are engaging with their local music genres: Music consumers especially enjoy listening to local music genres, with 66 per cent of consumers in Japan listening to J-Pop, 69 per cent of consumers in France listening to Variété Française and, in Brazil, 55 per cent listening to música popular brasileira.
- High-growth music markets are seeing high levels of licensed engagement: 96 per cent of consumers in China and 96 per cent in India listen to licensed music.
- User upload services continue to dominate consumption: Nearly half of all time spent listening to on-demand music is on YouTube.
- Copyright infringement remains a significant issue: More than one-third (38 per cent) of consumers obtain music through infringing methods – with stream ripping the dominant method (32 per cent of consumers).
“This year’s Music Consumer Insight Report tells the story of how recorded music is woven into the lives of fans around the world,” commented Frances Moore, CEO of IFPI. “As it becomes increasingly accessible, it continues to be embraced across formats, genres and technologies.”
“Record companies are working with their partners to sustain and develop these rich and diverse ways in which music is being enjoyed, ensuring that it continues on its exciting journey around the world.”
“However, this report also shows the challenges the music community continues to face – both in the form of the evolving threat of digital copyright infringement as well as in the failure to achieve fair compensation from some user-upload services. Policymakers around the globe have been scrutinising these issues and increasingly acting to address them.”