Technology is changing the way people do a lot of things, and that includes listening to music. More and more people are listening to music from subscription-based and free internet radio services in lieu of the AM/FM radio options that dominated the airwaves in the past.
According to The NPD Group, a global information company, more young drivers are choosing to listen to internet radio in their cars instead of AM/FM radio. A survey conducted by the group found that people ages 13 to 35 spent 23 percent of the average weekly music time listening to internet radio services, which is up from 17 percent last year and practically even with traditional radio listeners. Older listeners, however, use radio 41 percent of the time compared to just 13 percent for internet streaming.
"Driven by mobility and connectivity, music-streaming services are rapidly growing their share of the music listening experience for teens and young adults, at the expense of traditional music listening methods," said Russ Crupnick, senior vice president of industry analysis at NPD.
In addition to the fact that traditional radio is falling by the wayside, many listeners are using mobile devices to stream their music instead of computers, CDs, digital music files or other formats - and much of this usage comes in the car. Drivers are increasingly turning to mobile devices to bring them their music, which can cause distractions and potential auto repair issues in cars not capable of handling the technology.