Radio reigns, smartphones grow in music consumption

Radio is still the way to go for most Americans, a new report finds.

Fifty-nine percent of people say they use a combination of AM, FM or online radio stations to listen to music each week, according to Music 360° 2014, Nielsen's third study of the music habits and preferences of listeners in the USA.

Forty-eight percent of people polled say they use their own music libraries weekly when listening to their favorite artists and bands, while 41% use on-demand streaming services such as Spotify and YouTube. Thirty-six percent tune in to curated streaming music services such as Pandora and iTunes Radio.

Although radio may reign supreme as the most popular platform for consuming music, smartphones are showing steady growth. According to the study, 39% of smartphone owners purchased music on their devices in 2014, up from 34% last year. And of the consumers listeners to music online or on a mobile device, 18% purchased a song while streaming it.

Overall, listening to music is the top form of entertainment for many Americans. When surveyed this past year, 75% of people said they actively chose to listen to music, ahead of watching television at 73%. Twenty-three percent of all weekly time spent listening to music happens in the car, followed by listening while working at home or in an office (16%) and trailed by listening while exercising (12%).