Nielsen: Teens and millennials drive Canada’s streaming popularity

The Canadian music landscape is continuing to shift toward streaming, largely driven by the actions of the younger generations, according to the Nielsen Music 360 Canada report. Streaming has near-total reach for young ears, with 93% of teens and 91% of millennials using the technology, compared with 71% of the general Canadian population. And, in defiance of common assumptions, these groups also showed willingness to pay for access. In both the teen and millennial age brackets, 34% of music listeners said they pay for a streaming subscription. Plus, 20% of teens and 16% of millennials said they were likely to begin paying for music in the next 6 months.

Nielsen also tracked specifics about what teen and millennial listeners stream. Playlists were more popular for the younger groups, with 98% of teens and 96% of millennials engaging with them, compared with 84% of the general Canadian music streaming population. Playlists that the individual had created were the most popular for daily listening, securing a 60% share for teens and 49% for millennials. About a third reported daily listening to playlists generated around listening habits (34% for teens and 31% for millennials).

The report also compared the choice of listening device. For teens in particular, music gadget usage was much higher. More than two-thirds (68%) of teens listen on smartphones, compared with 39% for the average music listener.

Even in the breakdown of the average Canadian’s weekly listening, streaming of audio and video took a large share. Although AM/FM radio had the largest individual portion at 33%, the different streaming options combined for a strong second place. On-demand music had a 15% share, streaming music videos had 9% and online streams of live radio had 4%.