This is the second in a series of six music research articles for radioinfo from Xtra Insights.
Read the first article here.
The emergence of music streaming services, podcasts, audiobooks, and other audio offerings over the past decade have seen the audio and media landscape change drastically.
With the rise of so many new services, many often predict the demise of radio as a result. But is this really the case?
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A recent study conducted by Xtra Insights interviewed almost 3000 participants aged 16-39 across eight countries in the Asia-Pacific region, exploring people’s perceptions of radio, music, and their general audio consumption habits.
Generally speaking, radio listening is healthy across the Asia-Pacific region with 86% of the sample tuning into radio. While more mature radio markets (where competitive commercial radio has been around for 20 years or more) radio figures often tend to be higher. Our sample reflected strong listening across the board with the exception of Thailand and Indonesia.
When exploring the participants’ radio listening, on average AM/FM radio was listed as the most used device to listen to radio. However, smartphone use was high among many Asian countries, particularly Thailand and Vietnam where smartphones were the most used device to tune into radio.
Radio continues to play a key role in new music discovery and was identified as the primary source for new music, with YouTube coming in second place.
As for music listening excluding radio, smartphones were the most used device on average. Unsurprisingly, smartphone use was highest among 16-19 year olds. AM/FM radio and laptops alternated between second and third place based on the market and demographic.
Podcast penetration was deep across the region, with close to three-quarters of the sample listening to podcasts. Of those that listen to podcasts, 40% tuned in on a weekly basis. While many listeners opted for content exclusive to podcast, such as true crime series, 36% preferred replayed radio shows featuring their favourite personalities.
Music streaming is prevalent throughout the region with over three-quarters of the sample streaming music online and roughly half of those subscribing to a paid service. YouTube and Spotify dominated the music streaming services used.
Despite the alternatives out there, radio appears to be holding its own among the competition. While it’s unlikely that we’ll witness its demise anytime soon, many survey participants believe that radio still has a bright future ahead of itself. Over 80% of participants believe radio will continue to exist in 20 years, further cementing its future.
About the Author
Hannah joined the team at Xtra Insights in 2016, bringing with her a passion for data research and analysis. Since joining Xtra, Hannah has worked on a number of research projects in Australia and overseas and enjoys applying her skills within the media and entertainment industry.
As Project Coordinator, Hannah is involved in many facets of the company from marketing to music research. She is an integral part of the regional radio surveys team, helping to coordinate the release of multiple ratings surveys each year.
Xtra Insights specialise in media research. Xtra translates data into actionable insights. As an innovation leader, Xtra works with some of the biggest media companies around the world, using cutting edge methodologies to engage with their audiences. For more information head to https://xtrainsights.com.
