Album listening declines in Germany with 45% listening to fewer albums than five years ago according to a recent survey by Deezer. The survey in January 2020 of 8,000 adults from respondents in the US, Germany, France and Brazil included 2000 from Germany. The streamer has released further information about listening in Germany:
- 9% of music listening time is used for albums
- Almost a third of the time (31%) is spent on various playlists
- Individual songs are in second place taking up a fifth of listening time (21%).
- Mood and genre mixes make up 15% of listening time
- Automatic mixes are the least listened to at only 8%
German respondents indicated that they wanted to listen to a greater variety of artists with 36% saying that this was the main reason why they listened to fewer albums. A lack of time in everyday life also influences musical listening behaviour with one in five (21%) saying that they were too busy to listen to albums more often. 17% did not want to be restricted musically and preferred to browse through the large selection of music.
Germans listened to around 4 albums a month which is the same as the international average. The survey found a marked difference in listening behaviour between the generations with 18-34 year-olds listening to an average of 7 albums per month compared to baby boomers listening to 3.
The study found that 80% of those surveyed listened to albums in the home with 39% of Germans listening in car journeys and 14% while commuting to work. Almost 40% of those listening to albums then listen to the songs in chronological order. The majority (91%) said that good quality sound was important.
Listening to a music album also has an emotional component for many users. More than half of the respondents from Germany (52%) stated that they felt happy when they heard an album for the first time, 41% are enthusiastic and just under a quarter (23%) feel inspired.
The importance of live concerts is also clear from this survey. Three quarters (76%) of the respondents from Germany say that they tend to listen to an album after visiting a concert.
Richard Wernicke, Head of Content at Deezer, says: “We often hear that the playlist has replaced the album in music streaming. However, the results of our survey show that the album is still relevant – a trend that we can see especially among younger listeners. The album is an esteemed art form, which is especially useful for conscious listening to music and will therefore keep its place in streaming. Overall, however, streaming means that consumers can discover even more different music.”
In Germany, pop, rock and pop are the most popular genres for album listening. The most popular album in 2019 was CB6 by Capital Bra.
To listen to the most streamed albums on Deezer go here.
