Streaming services now the most popular method of music discovery

Streaming services have overtaken all other ways of discovering music, with social isolation a potential factor in the shift.

MRC Data & Nielsen Music’s latest Music 360 Report found 62% of people name streaming services among their top sources, with just 54% naming friends and family as a key source of discovery.

For “new music seekers” surveyed, YouTube came out on top as 26 % named it as their preferred source of music discovery.

19% named Spotify as their most-used source, and 11% said they still rely most on AM and FM radio.

The news feels like it has been a while coming, with algorithms on services like Spotify and Apple Music able to curate playlists of new music based on data points like prior listening.

With specially curated playlists based on mood, new music and eras, the age of discovering new music on blogs appears a by-gone time (for most at least).

Spotify released the latest edition of its Time Capsule playlist this week, a personally curated list of songs based on a listener’s history with the service.

The move away from a reliance on friends and family for music recommendations appears to have been accelerated by social isolation and lockdowns amid the global pandemic.

The Music 360 Report found 65% of respondents avoided crowded public areas and 45% listened to more music than the two weeks prior.

Comparing the two weeks ending June 8 to the fortnight ending on March 23, the number of people who had bought a streaming subscription was 45% (up from 38%).

The full report can be viewed here (with a subscription).