According to a new report from the Infinite Dial, more than half of us are listening to online audio (music, podcasts, etc.). The landscape is shifting – here’s a snapshot:
Streaming leaders are Spotify and Pandora, tied as the most popular platforms. Pandora scores best with 35+ fans, while Spotify dominates among 12-34s. Amazon Music is closing fast in third while Tik Tok is gaining traction.
Smart Speakers are now in 18% of homes, up dramatically the last two years. Voice-command is taking hold, led by Amazon’s Alexa, then Apple’s Siri.
In-Car listening is still dominated by AM/FM stations – while the streaming giants loom larger in the rear-view mirror. Nearly half of Americans have plugged their cell phone into the dashboard to listen.
Podcasting has 100 million fans, with one-in-three of us listening regularly. The audience is largely young, white and evenly split between men and women who listen 6.5 hours per week.
Here’s my take: All signs point to a future of voice-activation.Most of us have 2-3 speakers per home. So, Alexa and Siri are now full-fledged family members…except they don’t complain.
Amazon Prime leads with 100+ million subscribers and made Alexa our smart speaker of choice. So, watch Amazon Music to aggressively challenge Pandora and Spotify.
Radio owns in-car listening, for the moment. More than half of 12-34s don’t even own a radio. When Amazon and Apple CarPlay roll out a voice-activated menu of options, AM/FM radio will get kicked to the curb. Choked by commercial clutter.
The digital dash will also open doors for new audio options, including next gen podcasts. So, strap-in folks. It’s going to be a wild ride
