It's been 35 years since The Buggles claimed that "Video killed the radio star." That didn't happen, and neither streaming services nor social media are more important sources for Norwegians to discover new music, reveals a new survey conducted by the analysis company YouGov on behalf of TONO.
/ 07/12/2015 / codexIt's been 35 years since The Buggles claimed that "Video killed the radio star." That didn't happen, and neither streaming services nor social media are more important sources for Norwegians to discover new music, reveals a new survey conducted by the analysis company YouGov on behalf of TONO.
In TONO's Digital Music 2015 survey, conducted by the analysis company YouGov among Norwegians aged 12-65, 36 percent say that it was on the radio that they last discovered a song they liked. Radio is the platform where most people discover new music in all age groups, except for those between 12-17 years old.
– Radio has always been a very important channel for artists and composers who want to reach a wide audience, and now we have fresh figures that show that radio is also the channel that makes Norwegians most aware of new music. This may be surprising to many, considering that radio has gradually gained many competitors, says communications manager at TONO, Willy Martinsen.
Radio most important for those between 40 and 65
Radio has a particularly strong hold among those aged 40-65. Almost half of them say they last discovered new music on the radio. In the 18-39 age group, radio also tops the list, but the share here is somewhat lower than among those over 40. Among those aged 12-17, streaming services or friends are the top choice. 2 out of 10 say they last discovered new music this way, but even among the very youngest, 10 percent say radio is the channel they last discovered a new song on.
– Radio probably generally plays a more important role for those over 30 than for those under, because radio is perhaps something that you typically listen to when you are at work or in the car to and from work. The fact that the youngest people do not discover new music on the radio to the same extent does not necessarily mean that radio has been outcompeted by new media, but that young people are not in a life situation where it is natural to listen to the radio as much as those who are slightly older, says Martinsen.
Great opportunity for radio stations
Both Norwegian and foreign composers grant permission for the use of their music on radio via TONO, and the broadcasting area (radio and television) constituted the largest revenue area for TONO in 2014 with NOK 167,8 million. In general, it can therefore be said that radio play is an attractive channel for those who write music, even though the odds of being played on the radio are slim.
– Now that we have concrete figures showing that Norwegians primarily discover new music on the radio, this gives radio channels a significant opportunity to help promote Norwegian music. When we know that Norwegians only choose 12 percent of Norwegian-written music when they stream, it is obvious that there is huge potential for radio channels to help Norwegians find, and then stream, Norwegian music, says Martinsen.
3 out of 10 ask streaming services to make it easier to find Norwegian music
In the survey, 9 percent of them say they discover new music via streaming services, and 9 percent YouTube. 32 percent believe it should be easier to find local music on digital music services of this type.
– It is worth noting that almost a third believe that it should be easier to find local music on streaming services and other digital music services. Streaming services are becoming increasingly good at helping listeners find good music, but three out of ten Norwegians still believe that it should be easier to find Norwegian music, says Martinsen.
"Digital Music 2015" is a Nordic survey conducted in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland on behalf of TONO and its sister organizations in the Nordic countries. In Norway, 807 CAWI interviews were conducted in the period 17-29. September 2015. The respondents were aged 12-65 years.
For more information:
Willy Martinsen, communications manager at TONO, mobile 909 65 254, willy.martinsen@tono.no.
About TONO:
TONO is a non-profit cooperative, founded in 1928, owned and managed by its members: Composers, songwriters, lyricists and music publishers. TONO manages performance rights for musical works in Norway and collects remuneration for their public performance. TONO currently represents more than 27,000 Norwegian composers, lyricists and music publishers. Through mutual representation agreements with similar companies in other countries, TONO practically manages the entire world repertoire in Norway. TONO's results are transferred to the rights holders of performed works, and thus TONO facilitates the use of music in society, while at the same time providing TONO's members with a basis for constantly creating new musical works.
Illustration image above: istockphoto.com