Breaking Down Global Music Consumption

Way back in the day there used to be only 2 ways you listened to music, either by radio or vinyl record. Slowly that expanded to cassette, CD, then television (like MTV when it first started). Today there are 9 ways that we consume music on a regular basis, according to the IFPI. Indeed, global music consumption is more diversified than ever. Here’s how it breaks down.

24% – Subscription Audio Streaming (like Spotify, Apple Music, etc.)

19% – Video Streaming (YouTube)

17% – Music On The Radio (73% of listeners tune in mainly for music)

10% – Purchased Music (vinyl, CDs, downloads)

8% – Short Form Videos (TikTok)

8% – Ad-Supported Streaming (Spotify, Deezer, etc.)

5% – Social Media Platforms

4% – Live Music (includes music livestreams)

6% – All other forms of music consumption (includes music on TV, music swapped on phones, etc)

What’s interesting here is that 64% of people choose to consume their music via the Internet. More alarming is the 30% of consumers get their music illegally via unauthorized accounts or pirate sites. And we keep on hearing about the demise of music radio, but that doesn’t seem to be the case just yet, as a full 17% of consumers still get their music that way (I bet a big chunk of it comes from listening in a car during a commute).

By the way, this global music consumption data came form a survey of over 44,000 people from 22 countries, including India and China, which are usually excluded from these types of studies.

Whichever way you look at it, we have so many more options when it comes to consuming music, and those options continue to grow all the time. Whether you choose a legacy form of delivery like vinyl or radio, or choose to get it online, it’s easily and cheaply available to you 24/7.