CMA study finds streaming drives, not hurts, new music sales

Streaming services may be doing more than people realize to help music sales. According to a survey of music consumers by the Country Music Association, the respondents were more likely to buy music after hearing it on a streaming platform than if they heard the same song on terrestrial radio.

The organization surveyed people about new tracks they’d heard in the past week and what actions they took after listening. Half of the respondents who listened on a streaming app did additional research into the music, such as Shazaming the tune of looking up the lyrics, while only 17% of radio listeners took further steps to learn about the song. About 25% of the streaming listeners purchased the song, compared with 8% for the radio demographic.

“Compared to other discovery platforms, it is definitely a significant player to driving purchase conversion,” said Karen Stump, CMA senior director of market research. “So what you’re seeing in this report isn’t just country music fans. It’s all genres.”