A new survey highlights why music fans love streaming and concludes that its ability to customize and personalize an unlimited catalogue leads to more engagement and exploration. The Streaming Forward: 2023 Fan Engagement Report published by the Digital Media Association (DiMA) is based on a survey of US music fans (2,000 music streamers and 1,000 non-streamers) and reveals new insight into the power of streaming for the music industry and fans alike.
Key findings
The report highlights how much music fans value the innovative customization and personalization offered by streaming, leading to more engaged and empowered fans:
- 91% of streamers say it’s important to have the ability to decide what to listen to and when
- Music streamers on average spend 1.5x more time and money on music than non-streamers
- 86% of streamers find the recommendations from streaming services for artists and songs useful
- 66% of streamers say they explore or engage with new genres more while streaming than when using other formats
- Most streamers report that they were first introduced to Americana (74%), Afro-Pop/Afro-Beats (73%), K-Pop (68%), and Latin music (55%) through streaming services
Other findings
The top 6 areas on which streaming services surpass other music listening platforms according to streamers are:
- Ability to customize based on preferences – 61%
- Device compatibility – 61%
- Ability to decide what to listen to and when – 58%
- Catalogue/library size – 58%
- Ability to discover new music – 57%
- Access to different genres – 56%
Music platforms that delivered the best on customisation according to streamers:
- Streaming services – 61%
- Subscription based satellite radio service – 9%
- Social Media Platforms – 7%
- Downloaded content – 6%
- Traditional AM/FM radio – 5%
- CDs or cassettes – 4%
DiMA CEO Garrett Levin said, “Fans love streaming, that’s no secret. This report helps us better understand why streaming is so popular and how fans view its contributions to the music industry. Ultimately, the fans we surveyed are telling us that it is the unparalleled personalization, combined with unlimited shelf space, which turns them into more engaged music fans who are constantly discovering new music and rediscovering old favourites.”
The report Streaming Forward: 2023 Fan Engagement Report is available free and can be downloaded here . There are two infographics which can be downloaded for free and there are DiMA’s infographic on Customization and Personalization and DiMA’s infographic on Fan Engagement and (Re)Discovery.
