Survey: MP3 Player Ownership on the Rise

[vashti1999]

Survey: MP3 Player Ownership on the Rise

Walaika K. Haskins, newsfactor.com
Mon Jul 3, 1:35 PM ET

More Americans than ever own at least one MP3 player, a trend driven largely by sales to younger people, a survey has found. According to research by Ipsos, one in five Americans over the age of 12 owns a digital-music device while one in 20 has more than one player.

The poll showed that ownership of iPods and similar devices has increased by 15 percent since last year, and has nearly doubled since 2003. More than half of teenagers surveyed -- 54 percent -- own a digital music device, followed by 30 percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 34, and 13 percent of people 35 to 54.

"Over the past year, the portable MP3 market has really matured, and we are now seeing not just new buyers entering this market, but also growing levels of multiple-device ownership indicative of overall category satisfaction and habitualized behavior," said Ipsos Vice President Matt Kleinschmit, the study's author.

Ripping the Tunes

When it comes to preferred methods of acquiring music, 44 percent of respondents said they rip tracks from their existing CD collections, while 6 percent reported using other people's CD collections. Another 25 percent of those surveyed said they use fee-based downloads, while 19 percent admitted obtaining tunes from file-sharing services.

"As the music industry starts to look at this, they are realizing that the idea of the CD as the only product is an antiquated one," Kleinschmit said. "A product could be a ring tone bundled with a song bundled with a music video -- taking a step outside of the CD, and moving into an era where people who are younger have a completely different mindset."

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the primary industry group that tracks music trends, supports Kleinschmit's research. In 2005, consumers downloaded more than 500 million songs -- including 367 million individual tracks -- a 163 percent increase over the previous year. The number of albums downloaded during the same time tripled, totaling 13.6 million.

All About Downloads

According to Kleinschmit, music downloaded by those in the 25-to-34 and 35-to-54 age ranges is driving the digital-music market. Last year, iTunes -- Apple's online music store -- sold more individual tracks and albums than the Tower Records and Borders Music retail stores.

But despite the CD's waning popularity, don't expect it to join the 8-track anytime soon, said Mukul Krishna, a Frost & Sullivan analyst. "A lot of people still prefer to burn their own CDs to take with them on trips and stuff," he said.

The survey, meanwhile, also found that about 25 percent of MP3-player owners are interested in viewing music videos, TV shows, full-length movies, and photos on their portable devices.

Interest in video content was especially strong among young consumers who have experience downloading music, with 33 percent of those between the ages of 12 and 24 saying they watch videos on their MP3 players. Less than one-fifth of those ages 25 to 54 who downloaded music reported any interest in video.

Younger respondents said that, if they had to choose between video capabilities and a radio, they would choose radio. About 46 percent of teens and young adults said they would prefer FM radio to video, while 39 percent said they would like to be able to access satellite radio.

"These recent findings showing the desire for broader multimedia content on a portable device could suggest we are reaching a turning point in which consumers are truly recognizing the value of anytime, anywhere multimedia content on-the-go," Kleinschmit said.

Copyright © 2006 NewsFactor Network, Inc.

[dawsongirl]

I love mine, because it's so easy to use. But it dies too quickly, yesterday it froze, and you have to wear headphones all the time (unless you drop some large sum for a docking station with speakers), and sometimes you just don't wanna do that. I still use CDs for my car.