Do you listen to music in the shower?
A new survey unveils our streaming music habits, and I'm totally judging some of you.
It's often assumed that the future of music will entirely be in streaming services such as Spotify, where you pay a subscription each month rather than purchasing "ownership" of tracks or albums. The reality is a little messier. Yes, streaming is becoming dominant, especially for younger listeners, but there's still a market for physical music (including the much-exaggerated vinyl revival). More tellingly, there are still plenty of people who haven't tried streaming at all.
Some recent research from Spotify and media buying agency GroupM underlines the point. After surveying 20,000 consumers (including 3,000 Australians), the study concluded that 50% of Internet users stream music. In Australia, the figure is a little lower, at 37%. So somewhere between a half and two-thirds of us aren't yet worried about listening to music through Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music or any of the other options.
That observation aside, two sets of figures in the Spotify research jumped out at me. The first lists which streaming services people typically use. Unsurprisingly, YouTube is the most popular, with Spotify second and Pandora a very distant third. Despite their dominance of mobile platforms, neither Google or Apple or getting much of a look-in.
The second shows the activities we typically perform while consuming our favourite tunes. Straight up, I find the idea of listening to music in the shower weird: how would you hear anything? But it's less surprising that "chilling" was the most popular choice.
| Activity | % |
|---|---|
| Chilling | 55% |
| Doing housework | 53% |
| Cooking | 42% |
| On road trips | 40% |
| Working out | 40% |
| Travelling | 36% |
| On holiday | 35% |
| Working | 33% |
| Commuting | 30% |
| Running | 30% |
| Taking a shower | 30% |
| On public transport | 29% |
| Studying | 25% |
| Birthday parties | 23% |
| Outdoor activities | 22% |
| While running errands | 19% |
| Gaming | 19% |
| Girls' night out | 18% |
| Sleeping | 15% |
| Biking | 14% |
| At dinner | 14% |
| At cafes | 12% |
| With my kids | 10% |
| Ridesharing | 7% |
| Yoga | 7% |
| With my baby | 5% |
At least the survey didn't ask who listened to music on the toilet. That's a version of streaming we don't need.
Angus Kidman's Findings column looks at new developments and research that help you save money, make wise decisions and enjoy your life more. It appears Monday through Friday on finder.com.au.
Latest news headlines
Picture: Shutterstock