Despite the growing buzz around podcasts and spoken-word content, music remains the dominant draw for US listeners – accounting for 74% of their average daily audio time – and even while it sits on a razor-thin margin, radio is the top platform to listen to music.
The findings, captured by Edison Research, show AM/FM and its streams lead as the top source for music among listeners aged 13 and older, capturing 32% of daily listening time. Streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Pandora, and YouTube Music follow closely, accounting for 28%.
YouTube for music and music videos contributes another 18%.
Additional breakdowns show 9% of music listening is dedicated to SiriusXM, while another 9% is spent on owned music, such as vinyl, CDs, or downloaded files. Music channels on TV, such as Music Choice or Stingray, account for the remaining 3%.
Yet, when Edison clipped out the oldest users on the chart, it captured the shifting digital paradigm. For younger audiences aged 13-64, streaming edges out AM/FM by a slim margin. Streaming platforms claim 31% of daily music listening time in this demographic, while radio follows at 30%.
Edison Research’s full Q3 Share of Ear study highlights radio’s full reign as the leading audio platform in the US, capturing 37% of total audio time among adults 18+. Music videos on YouTube and podcasts followed with 13% and 10%, respectively. Radio dominates ad-supported audio with a 69% share, outperforming competitors across all major demographics, including Millennials and Gen Z.
In the car, AM/FM secures 86% of ad-supported listening, including 82% among 18-34s. Thirteen percent of radio listening occurs via streaming, with smart speakers contributing significantly, whereas radio leads ad-supported platforms with 50%. Podcasts, while growing among younger audiences, account for 33% of ad-supported audio time among 18-34s and 48% among Hispanic listeners in the same age group.
where’s the news?
RADIO is Audio. DIGITAL is Delivery. CONTENT is King. LICENSED LOCAL is Credibility!
I regularly post on our local online Nextdoor, and am now regularly stating that readers should add a battery operated am/fm radio to their holiday shopping. Return comments are very happy with the suggestion, stating that they don’t have one in their home. Others state overwhelmingly that the radio they had was the only method to keep in touch with the outside world during a storm emergency or power failure. There’s still time left to suggest that people buy a couple for the family along
with some spare batteries.
AM/FM’s got great news here, right ? Would love to see the trends on this one. With AM/FM trimming staff and in many cases removing reasons to listen (removing long term talent) – the opportunity is becoming stronger for digital to take over. Thankfully it hasn’t-yet-but let’s be real. Do we actually think that radio, the way it is now, will be more attractive in the future? Will AM/FM receivers be more available in the future? We get information daily on how things are changing, and how the big companies are hurting. Is this article another Nero-like display? I’m just wondering.
A radio receiver in every home, office, public gathering place, and vehicle is a necessity for emergency communications. There is no realistic alternative. Personal opinions of agreement or disagreement are moot and irrelevant.
Rural areas still on DSL or copper don’t have internet speeds to stream. AM and FM radio is still a critical service in rural areas. Congress needs to realize this and make AM reception mandatory on ALL vehicle and other radio receivers sold in the United States. Sen. Schumer from NYC cares more about big money and cares less about rural areas and rural residents’ needs.