MusicWatch: Almost 11 million Americans illicitly share their subscription streaming accounts

MusicWatch reported that 10.7 million people in the U.S. accessed a major streaming service through illicit account sharing. Those people represent a potential $995 million in unpaid access. In more practical terms, MusicWatch predicted that only 30% of the illict sharing audience would actually switch to their own paid account if they lost their current means of access, while the remained would take the free, ad-supported option.

The report found that among paying streaming subscribers who don’t have a family plan, 32% share their login information with somebody else. The rate rose to 44% among Millennials.

MusicWatch found that of the 95 million people in the U.S. who used a leading streaming service in the past year, 25 million had access through a family plan. The survey found that the platforms could improve their messaging around subscription plan options. One in five of the surveyed users who share premium access from Apple, Pandora, or Spotify thought the service did not have a family plan option. After learning about the feature sets for family plans, 57% of the respondents said they were interested in upgrading.