U.S. Consumes Music Differently on Smartphones Than in UK and Canada

A new Vision Critical study of music on smparthones in the US, UK and Canada, found major differences. While those in Canada and the UK are using apps on their smartphone or iPod Touch to listen to broadcast radio, U.S. users are more likely to listen to web-only radio and music streaming services.

Pandora was the clear leader among adults in the US who have listened to online-only radio in the past year:

1. Pandora 42%
2. Rhapsody 6%
3. last.fm 5%
4. Yahoo! (5%)

In The UK & Canada -

In the UK, where Pandora is not legally available but the music streaming service Spotify is, broadcast radio holds a clear edge for listening. A total of 31% of UK smartphone and iPod Touch users said they listened to broadcast radio in the past week using the apps on their device, compared to 21% who reported listening to web-only radio or streaming services.

In Canada, where neither Pandora nor Spotify is legally available, broadcast radio still dominates according to the study, with 14% of smartphone and iPod Touch users saying they have listened to AM or FM stations on the platform in the past week, while only half that many (7%) reported listening to web-only radio or streaming services.