People still listen to radio more than music streams, podcasts combined

The death of broadcast radio appears to have been greatly exaggerated. According to a new Edison survey, the average person in the U.S. Spends 36% of their daily audio consumption listening to AM/FM radio.

And most of that listening still happens over the air.

In another sign of the radio’s continued impact, half of the top 10 songs on the radio in 2023 were also on Spotify’s top 10 for the year, emphasizing its impact on a track’s success on streaming, according to Chartmetric.

Streaming music now accounts for 20% of listening, according to Edison. YouTube music and music videos are at 14%, and podcasts account for 11%. SiriusXM represented 8% of audio listening, and owned music – listening to CDs, vinyl, and downloads – sits at 4%. Other changes are accounted for by rounding. 

Compared to last year, radio and owned music listening each fell by 1%, and streaming music rose by 1%.

Edison started their Share of Ear surveys in 2014, and you can read the latest update here.

MORE: Chartmetric Report: Just 0.05% of new artists had mid-level success or greater

Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Agency, and a Berklee College Of Music professor.