Even as the number of available audio entertainment choices gets larger by the day, Americans still have a clear favorite: AM/FM. While streaming music has carved out a strong second-place position, traditional radio still leads by a double-digit margin.
Even YouTube, with its wide adoption for music consumption, falls 20 percentage points behind traditional radio.
In Q2 2025, Edison Research’s Share of Ear survey asked Americans how they divide their daily audio time. That data, combined with listening behavior as far back as Q3 2024, shows that listeners aged 13 and up spend just over one-third of their audio day (34%) with traditional or streamed radio.
That figure surpasses every other audio platform, including streaming music services (23%), YouTube (14%), and podcasts (10%). SiriusXM accounts for just 7% of listening time, while owned music and audiobooks trail at 6% and 3%, respectively. TV music channels and other formats collectively make up only 3% of total listening.
The findings reinforce AM/FM’s central role in the daily audio habits of Americans, even amid mounting competition from subscription-based and algorithm-driven platforms. Edison’s data includes all over-the-air and radio stream listening in its AM/FM measurement, underscoring radio’s cross-platform reach.
However, this is a measurable slip for radio from two years ago.
In Q2 2023, AM/FM held a 36% share of all daily audio listening, according to Edison, compared to streaming music’s 18%, showing a few points ceded. SiriusXM also lost a percentage point, while most other sources held steady.
The trend reflects how smartphones, smart speakers, and on-demand platforms have reshaped listening habits over the past few years as new technology, devices, and services have continually altered the way people engage with audio.
