New Music Streaming Survey Shows Trends in Europe - Usage and Willingness to Pay Continue to Increase

OSLO, Norway, May 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

New numbers show that willingness to pay for music streaming services continues to increase. To a much greater extent than before, this also applies for the older generations and not just the youth. Usage has also increased and the respondents predict that they will use streaming services even more in one year.

The numbers are from a survey conducted by Respons Analyse for streaming service WiMP in January, February and March this year. WiMP runs the survey continuously in its current markets, this time Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Poland.

"It is great to see that willingness to pay continues to increase and as a broader scope of people start using streaming services, willingness to pay also increases across age groups. The next step for WiMP now is to offer additional services such as WiMP HiFi with lossless streaming that we are currently beta testing," says Per Einar Dybvik, Head of Product and Norway CEO of WiMP.

The numbers show a significant increase in willingness to pay. Sweden, who has had access to streaming services the longest, has now been overtaken by Norway: 48% of Norwegians now say that they are willing to pay for a music streaming service, increasing fifteen percentage points since June 2012. Poland, only recently gaining access to services such as WiMP, has jumped straight into second place with 40% of Poles willing to pay for such a service. In Sweden, 35% now say yes, followed by Denmark with 30% and Germany, where 28% now claim to be willing to pay for a music streaming service. In addition, a large amount answer that their willingness to pay depends on the service. An average across all five countries of only 25% say no to payment.

WiMP has conducted population surveys since June 2011 and earlier surveys showed that willingness to pay is strongest among the youngest generation, those under the age of 30. The new numbers show that this is about to level out: The age group 30-39 is now almost as willing to pay as those under 30 and the gap for higher age groups decreases. This applies in all countries.

Usage of streaming has increased in all countries, and significantly in Sweden and Norway. In the survey from last June, over one third of Swedes stated that they listened to music through streaming last week. Although not directly comparable, the new survey shows that almost half of Swedes and Norwegians now listen to music through streaming weekly or more often and in total 3 in 4 use a streaming service in Sweden, 8 in 10 in Norway. For the other countries, the numbers show that 30% of Danes, 33% of Germans and 37% of Poles listen to music through streaming weekly or more often. For comparison, 40% of Norwegians, 36% of Swedes, 41% of Danes, 63% of Germans and 59% of Poles listen to music from CDs weekly or more often.

According to the respondents, the streaming trend will continue to grow in the future: When asked about how they think they will listen to music one year from now, 58% of Norwegians, 53% of Swedes, 37% of Danes, 41% of Germans and 45% of Poles say they will listen to music through streaming services weekly or more often. One year from now, 39% of Norwegians, 36% of Swedes, 41% of Danes, 61% of Germans and 65% of Poles think they will listen to music via CDs weekly or more often.

Pop is the genre most of the respondents state as their favorite, followed by rock. However, respondents stating rock to be their favorite genre use streaming services to a greater extent than those who enjoy pop the most. This is especially true for Norway, Sweden and Germany.

Illustrations:

Willingness to pay per country:
http://infogr.am/71895cd9d3f1-2228/

Music streaming now and in one year per country:
http://infogr.am/512ba8ed45d1-8767/

About WiMP

WiMP is a music streaming service focusing on inspiring users to find new music and old favorites. Through local editorial teams in each country, WiMP provides daily recommendations, tips and playlists for any occasion. The ad-free service is available on computers and mobiles, tablets and network players. Read more on http://www.wimpmusic.com

For more information, please contact: Kristin Castillo Eldnes, Head of Communication and PR, kristin.eldnes@wimpmusic.com, +47-90-80-73-89