CMA Radio Listener Panel Discusses Mobile Music Consumption

Back row (L-R): Panel members Christina, Brandon, and Diane; CMA Consumer Research Committee Chairman David Ross; CMA Senior Director of Market Research Karen Stump; and panel members Melissa, Christopher, April, and Joey. Front row (L-R): Panel member Sara and panel moderator Pat Snyder of What They Think Research.

CMA’s Music On The Move: Inside the Drive toward Mobile Music Consumption session during Country Radio Seminar brought in a live Nashville radio listener panel of eight men and women, ages 18-49, to the stage at the Nashville Convention Center. They were recruited from the local market and are avid Country Music consumers, who in addition to traditional radio, listen to music via online sources, including iheartradio, Pandora or radio station streaming.

Some key pieces of information from the panel include:

• Mobile technology is indeed helping listeners take their music everywhere as they listen at home, at work, on the job, and even in their cars.
• While not abandoning traditional radio, streaming and mobile apps deliver on key consumer requirements.
• While freedom of location is a key benefit, the panelists revealed a more engaging benefit is personalizing music to match their own preferences and variety. This personalization enables their listening to embrace a wider variety of songs and artists.
• Most panelists want a listening experience that spans the format from traditional, current, and rising Country artists. The panelists said they are not getting enough of the legacy and up-and-coming artists on traditional radio.
• With mobile apps and streaming, they can control what they listen to, not only where they listen.
• Common features of today’s apps such as “like” and tagging, along with pre-programmed playlists of similar artists and songs, seem to be strong aids in the discovery of new music with users.
• While mobile provides a unique method for music customization, it’s also supporting their listening of favorite Country stations when listeners leave the area. Now they take their favorite stations with them.

“Obviously the strength and vitality of Country radio has a direct influence on the industry,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “Country radio stations and broadcast professionals do an outstanding job of broadening the scope of Country Music and presenting artists to their listeners–expanding the careers of established artists, creating and development awareness of new talent and delivering music directly to the fans that support our business.”