“The whole music subscription sector is intrinsically unprofitable.” That is the stark conclusion of a 150-page financial research report released by British company Generator Research. Unsustainably high cost of operation will prevent profitability, according to the report. Continue Reading
Hundreds of readers voted in the inaugural RAIN Poll. We asked: “Pandora is the leading ‘Internet radio’ service. Is Pandora radio?” Click through for results, and comments. One thing is certain: the word “radio” has been changed. Continue Reading
Research group NPD Group released a small set of survey data revealing what a sample group of smartphone users listen to on their phones. In a sample of 328 users, 71% reported listening to Pandora in the past week, and 15% listened to iTunes Radio … but, the deck is stacked. Continue Reading
Internet listening remained essentially flat in December over November, according to data released by Triton Digital in its Webcast Metrics Top 20 Ranker. Top-line listening growth barely nudged total listening into new-high territory. Click through for analysis and charts. Continue Reading
A new research report from eMarketer projects U.S. online listening to grow incrementally through 2018, from 148-million listeners in 2013 to 183-million listeners in 2018. eMarketer characterizes the audience as “mass market.” Continue Reading
Edison Research has revisited its landmark study on streaming music listening conducted last September, “The New MainStream.” Now, Edison breaks out numbers for the 18-34 demographic. Continue Reading
As part of its monthly Top 20 Ranker of streaming listenership, Triton Digital’s December report, released on Tuesday, included a 2013 summary. Stream listening reached all-time highs in 2013, fueled by a rampaging increase in mobile listening. Continue Reading
At the top of the new year we reported that Gracenote was moving into a new dimension of music intelligence with a new project called Gracenote Rhythm. Today Gracenote announced a partnership with Next Big Sound, which measures music consumption trends. Continue Reading
Kurt Hanson looks at a recent survey, and analyzes why music download sales lost ground in 2013, especially in the fourth quarter. A bit of arithmetic connects the trend to music subscription growth. Art Linkletter is unexpectedly involved. Continue Reading
A study authored by Sam Milkman of Music Forecasting seeks to understand why iTunes Radio does not drive iTunes music purchases in greater volume. The important part of the survey is what Milkman learned about usage habits and attitudes. Continue Reading
AYTM Market Research released a survey of mobile music consumers, which quantifies the devices they use, their listening sources, and whether they pay. Most of the survey’s results are unsurprising, but a startling number of respondents pay for multiple subscription services. Continue Reading
BIA/Kelsey has published a study of mobile advertising growth, sponsored by mobile ad network Verve Mobile. While serving as promotion for Verve, the report also identifies data points and defines new advertising technologies. The key technology focus of this report is “Attribution,” which purports to quantify the effectiveness of mobile ads, post-impression. Continue Reading