Research Overview
Media and Music Consumption Patterns
Defining the Country Music Audience
Appetite for Country Music and Access
Perceptions of the Country Genre
• Native residents of country/region • Sample representative of general population to support project-ability for Adults 18+ • Respondents among two groups • General music listeners • Country music listeners • Markets: • UK/Europe (sample of 800 per market) • Australia (sample of 980) • Canada (sample of 800)
2016 CMA Proprietary Research. Content from this report may not be reprinted or redistributed without written permission from the Country Music Association
U.K.*
Canada*
Australia*
39%
51%
34%
4.9M
2.6M
residents
residents
4.1M residents
Country Music Listeners defined as those who listen to Country Music on a regular basis (listen monthly or more frequently). *Reflective of population in cities studied. Does not include full country population.
The UK Country Music Audience
Country Music Listeners defined as those who listen to Country Music on a regular basis (listen monthly or more frequently). *Reflective of population in cities studied. Does not include full country population.
Young Millennials and Boomers Exceed Average
% Who Listen By Age Group (Avg. 39%) 57%
47% 36%
37%
35%
30%
How Often They are Listening
Monthly 30%
Weekly 28%
Daily 13% Every Other Day 29%
Millennials are 2x more likely to listen on a daily basis (25%)
Top Genre Preferences and Country 60%
50%
Percent of Listeners that Rank Genre as a top three preferred 57% 49%
47%
40%
30%
23% 20%
10%
0%
Base: Country listeners, Rock listeners, Pop listeners, R&B listeners
Where U.K. Listeners Access Country Music Most Traditional Radio Stations
44%
Physical CDs / Albums
38%
YouTube
34%
TV Music Channels
30%
Streaming Services
25%
Digital Downloads
25% 0%
20%
40%
Represents % of Listeners That Access Each Platform Several times per week or more
Preferred Listening Platforms
18-34
35-54
55+
9%
20%
50%
22%
16%
2%
30%
16%
4%
“Top of Mind” Country for Many
References artists mentioned when asked “Which Country Artist comes to mind first?” Artists shown above represent those with the most mentions. Does not reflect all responses.
Australia’s Country Music Audience
Country Music Listeners defined as those who listen to Country Music on a regular basis (listen monthly or more frequently). *Reflective of population in cities studied. Does not include full country population.
Australian Listeners Across Age Segments % Who Listen By Age Group (Avg. 34%) 35% 29% 26%
35%
36%
36%
How Often They Are Listening
Monthly 30%
Weekly 26%
Daily 17% Every other day 31%
Similar Rates Among Each Age Group. More Daily Listening compared to other regions.
Diversity of Age/Audience driving varied preference Percent of Listeners that Rank Genre as a top three preferred 55% 52%
44%
25%
Base: Country listeners, Rock listeners, Pop listeners, R&B listeners
Where Australian Listeners Access Country Music 48%
Traditional Radio Stations
33%
YouTube
31%
Physical CDs / Albums
Streaming Services
25%
TV Music Channels
25%
Digital Downloads
22%
Represents % of listeners that access each platform several times a week or more
Preferred method for listening to Country Music
18-34
35-54
55+
13%
31%
46%
28%
15%
9%
26%
9%
4%
Top of Mind Artists in Australia
References artists mentioned when asked “Which Country Artist comes to mind first?” Artists shown above represent those with the most mentions. Does not reflect all responses.
Canada’s Country Music Audience
53% 49% 50% Country Music Listeners defined as those who listen to Country Music on a regular basis (listen monthly or more frequently). *Reflective of population in cities studied. Does not include full country population.
Country Gets A Boost From Younger Listeners
% Who Listen By Age Group (Avg. 51%) 54%
53%
49%
49%
49%
One-Quarter Listen Daily Regardless of Age How Often Do You Listen To Country Music?
More rank Country as their #1 Preferred Genre Percent of Listeners that Rank Genre as a top three preferred 55% 54% 49%
20%
Base: Country listeners, Rock listeners, Pop listeners, R&B listeners
Where Canadian Listeners Access Country Music
Traditional Radio Stations
53%
YouTube
35%
Physical CDs / Albums
30%
Streaming Services
30%
Digital Downloads
29%
TV Music Channels
30% 0%
20%
40%
Represents % of listeners that Access each platform several times a week or more
Preferred method for listening to Country Music
18-34
35-54
16%
27%
55+
37%
Millennials prefer YouTube, while those 35+ prefer traditional radio stations.
27%
19%
7%
18%
10%
7%
“Top of Mind” Country for Many
References artists mentioned when asked “Which Country Artist comes to mind first?” Artists shown above represent those with the most mentions. Does not reflect all responses.
Country Music Audiences Across Europe
Scandinavia*
Ireland*
Germany*
48%
43%
35%
950k
1.9M
residents
residents
1.8M residents
Country Music Listeners defined as those who listen to Country Music on a regular basis (listen monthly or more frequently). *Reflective of population in cities studied. Does not include full country population.
International Preference for Country Music Stronger preference for the genre in Ireland compare to other markets here. Percent of Listeners that Rank Genre as a top three preferred
58% 49% 40%
Base: Country listeners that name Country as one of their top three genres.
Ireland’s Country Music Audience
43%
Belfast
=
43%
Dublin
Country Music Listeners defined as those who listen to Country Music on a regular basis (listen monthly or more frequently). *Reflective of population in cities studied. Does not include full country population.
Country Music Listeners Across Age Segments
Listeners by Age Group (Avg. 43%) 68% 50%
35%
42% 31%
38%
Country Music listeners tend to be more prevalent among older (55+) listeners
Strong Preference for Country Music Percent of Listeners that Rank Genre as a top three preferred 59%
58%
Majority of listeners rank Country a top preferred genres and Ireland sees a larger share of listeners who put Country as #1 preferred genre(20%). Preference for Country equals Pop in this market and outranks Rock.
. Base: Country listeners, Rock listeners, Pop listeners, R&B listeners
44%
31%
Near Majority (48%) Listen to Country Weekly or Daily
How Often Do You Listen? All Country Listeners 26% 25%
17%
31%
60% of Boomers listen on a daily or near daily basis
Where Listeners Access Country Music Traditional Radio Stations
58%
YouTube
28%
Physical CDs / Albums
Streaming Services
TV Music Channels
Digital Downloads
26%
19%
18%
16%
Represents % of Listeners That Access Each Platform several times a week or more
Scandinavia’s Country Music Audience
=
51%
Oslo
49%
Stockholm 45%
Copenhagen Country Music Listeners defined as those who listen to Country Music on a regular basis (listen monthly or more frequently). *Reflective of population in cities studied. Does not include full country population.
Country Music Listeners By Age Group
Listeners by Age Segments (Avg. 48%) This market has a stronger incidence of listeners in all age demos, with high levels among older age groups (55+).
58% 47% 42%
40%
38%
61%
Preference for Country Music Nears Half Percent of Listeners that Rank Genre as a top three preferred 62%
49%
47%
21%
Base: Country listeners, Rock listeners, Pop listeners, R&B listeners
Weaker Appetite for Daily Listening How Often Do You Listen?
34%
2X
10%
26%
30%
Boomers see more daily listening compared to younger generations
Where Listeners Access Country Music Traditional Radio Stations
41%
YouTube
22%
Streaming Services
21%
Physical CDs / Albums
18%
Digital Downloads
TV Music Channels
12%
9%
Represents % of Listeners That Access Each Platform several times a week or more
Germany’s Country Music Audience
36%
=
Berlin 34%
Frankfurt 22%
Munich Country Music Listeners defined as those who listen to Country Music on a regular basis (listen monthly or more frequently). *Reflective of population in cities studied. Does not include full country population.
Country Music Fans by Age Group
Across Age Segments (Avg. 35%) 44%
31% 27%
25% 20%
47%
Country Music Less Popular in Germany Percent of Listeners that Rank Genre as a top three preferred 65% 56% Less than half who listen to Country refer to the genre as a top preferred genre.
40%
Less than 1 in 10 rank is #1 in terms of preference. 20%
.
Base: Country listeners, Rock listeners, Pop listeners, R&B listeners
Low Appetite for Daily Listening but Strengthens Over Time
Monthly 31%
Daily 6% Several days a week 31%
Weekly 32%
The audience sees comparable listening frequency patterns across generations.
Where Listeners Access Country Music Traditional Radio Stations
46%
YouTube
30%
Physical CDs / Albums
21%
TV Music Channels
16%
Streaming Services
Digital Downloads
15%
12%
Represents % of Listeners That Access Each Platform several times a week or more
Revisiting the Big Picture View
U.K.*
Australia*
Canada*
Ireland*
39%
34%
51%
43%
35%
49%
4.9M
4.1M
2.6M
1.9M
1.8M
950K
residents
residents
residents
residents
residents
residents
Germany* Scandinavia*
Country Music Listeners defined as those who listen to Country Music on a regular basis (listen monthly or more frequently). *Reflective of population in cities studied. Does not include full country population.
“Recent” Country Adoption by Market Exposes Growth Differences
Canada and Australia have seen higher numbers of consumers adopting listening in the past 5 years. Lower yet comparable levels of new listening across other markets.
CAN
21%
16%
AUS
22%
14%
UK
IRE
16%
14%
18%
SCAN
11%
GER
10%
8%
12%
.
12%
< 12 mos 1-5 yrs
With 51% listening to Country Music, Canada stands above Australia and the U.K in terms of consumer listening share.
Australia and the U.K. provide a strong current base of consumers (more than one-third) that embrace and listen regularly to the Country genre.
Millennials are boosting the explosion of the audience base in Canada and the U.K where the share of these segments in these regions exceeds the market average. Additionally, these Millennials are listening more frequently and on a daily basis.
Across all regions, Radio is a staple platform for accessing country music especially with the older listeners. Streaming, the new player platform, while younger, has taken a strong second place in terms of providing access to Country music for listeners.
You Tube is used by one-third or more of listeners regardless of region. Use of Streaming Services is slightly less compared to You Tube in all regions. In Canada, the use of streaming apps is significantly higher than the U.K or Australia.
2016 CMA Proprietary Research. Content from this report may not be reprinted or redistributed without written permission from the Country Music Association
