Music Acquisition

MusicWatch offers a comprehensive overview of how and where Americans consume music. We examine trends in purchasing and acquisition of physical and digital music, both commercially released and available through networks, apps and other sources.  The long term trends help us understand:

• The state of the ownership model; how many participate and what do they spend?
• Why habits are changing; cannibalization effects from streaming, preference for ownership or access — singles or albums; the factors that motivate and discourage consumers.
• The importance and influence of illegal or unsanctioned sources for music.
• Who is doing it all? — demographics and fan segmentation.
• In addition, we regularly examine top trends, for example:
• What is the role of social media in fan engagement — what apps are they using to discover, interact or promote their favorite artists?
• How is music discovery changing — from the traditional realm of AM/FM to sources such as Pandora, Spotify or Shazam.

With a decade of trends, the research provides a clear picture of how legacy ownership models have evolved and helps forecast where they are headed.

Who Buys Vinyl?

Half of vinyl record buyers are under the age of 25, and men are more likely buyers than women. Our research can tell you more about who is buying, sharing or streaming music.