Algorithmic playlists may be hitting a wall with younger listeners, and radio could be the beneficiary. A new report argues that live radio’s human curation and spontaneity are exactly what younger music fans are starting to crave and what streaming can’t provide.
The report from MIDiA Research, titled From Reach To Resonance: Radio’s New Role In Music Discovery, finds that among average live radio listeners, being free is the format’s biggest strength, cited by 50%. News, weather and travel updates followed at 36%, and music discovery at 32%.
MIDiA Research Audio and Entertainment Analyst Laura Fisher said, “In an entertainment landscape dominated by ubiquity, fragmentation, and algorithms, younger generations and music fans are craving scarcity, shared experiences, and human curation. Ironically, one of the oldest forms of music consumption has the opportunity to lead this future: radio.”
Radio is shaped by the people listening to it, per the report. A call-out, phone-in, or live chat comment can redirect the conversation or prompt a host to respond in the moment, something algorithms rarely do since their goal is generally to serve listeners music they are predicted to like rather than take creative risks.
That opportunity comes as radio’s overall position has weakened relative to streaming. Music streaming has narrowly overtaken radio as the primary music consumption format, in part by adopting radio-like features itself. MIDiA found that 56% of consumers across the US, UK, Canada and Australia use music streaming monthly, compared with 53% who listen to radio and 29% who listen specifically to music radio.
MIDiA’s findings track with other research Radio Ink has covered this year.
In August, an iHeartMedia Gen Z study found listeners are 68% more likely than older generations to view radio as a way to discover new music, tying the appeal to radio’s shared, judgment-free listening environment. Edison Research’s 2025 Gen Z Audio Report found that 10% of 13-to-17-year-olds cite AM/FM radio as their top music discovery source, more than double the 4% rate among 18-to-24-year-olds.
