Listening to albums is in decline with over half of us admitting to listening to fewer albums in the last five years according to a recent survey by Deezer. The survey in January 2020 of 8,000 adults which included 2000 interviews from respondents in the US, Germany, France and Brazil found the following results:
- Over half (54%) of us listen to fewer albums than 5 -10 years ago
- Biggest reasons: being too busy and artists not making albums like they used to
- High-quality sound can make us reconsider our choices. 94% feel high audio quality is important for full album listening
- Millennials are rooting for the album and are twice as likely to listen as baby boomers
- Albums can even improve your mood! People report feeling happy, excited and inspired when listening to a new album
The survey found that fans prefer hearing a mix of tracks from different artists. Having too much music to choose from and a busy schedule has added to the decline of albums. In addition, 1 in 10 of the respondents also felt that artists didn’t make albums like they used to.
40% of respondents said they preferred playlists with mood mixes proving popular. 34% of over 55s say they are listening to individual songs instead of albums with only 9% of all those surveyed favouring albums. Surprisingly, millennials are twice as likely as baby boomers to deep dive into an album.
The study found that on average, people are streaming five albums per month. There’s some variation per country. Brazilians listen to the most, with French and Germans the least. While 36% listen to the tracks in chronological order, two in five (40%) Brazilians like shuffling their albums.
94% of respondents agreed that higher audio quality is the most important feature for album listening. Four out of ten people also listen to albums when they need a distraction, 34% listen in their free time and over a quarter (26%) listen when they are happy. The survey also found that when you hear an album for the first time, it makes you feel happy (48%), excited (46%) and inspired (24%).
Frederic Antelme, Deezer’s VP Content and Productions, said, “The amount of great music released these days is so huge and available time has shrunk so much, it’s no surprise that more music fans turn to playlists for their music fix. But listeners shouldn’t ditch albums. They represent the artist’s vision, tell a story and take you on a musical journey. They actually give you a deeper listening experience. That’s why people pay much more attention to the sound quality when listening to albums. The small details matter and HiFi sound brings that out. As a music fan, I can honestly recommend all listeners enjoy a full album from their favourite artist, even if it’s just from time to time.”
Top Ten genres for album listening
- Pop – 39%
- Rock – 38%
- R&B – 20%
- Rap – 19%
- Hip Hop – 18%
- Country – 16%
- Soundtracks – 14%
- Variété française – 14%
- Dance – 13%
- Gospel – 13%
Pop and rock are storming ahead when it comes to the albums that get your foot tapping. Local genres are getting you going too. For Brazil it’s Sertanejo (44%), Variété Français in France (43%) and Schlager in Germany (24%).
Listening to albums at home is the most popular with 82% of respondents preferring to listen in the comfort of their own house. At the same time, 42% like listening to an album during a car journey, followed by on a walk, the commute and then in bed.
