eMusic Research Study Reveals New UK Digital Music Consumer Landscape

Today, digital music service eMusic is releasing a white paper exclusively through midem that reveals a new definition of today’s digital music consumer segments. The research uniquely groups UK online music purchasers not only by their taste in music, but also by their involvement in discovering and purchasing digital music.

This nationwide survey dives into music consumption behaviours and attitudes, revealing five consumer segments: Mainstream Leaders, Mainstream Followers, Independent Followers, Cultural Independents and Omnivores. Through previous research, eMusic has identified these same consumer segments in the US, proving that music is a universal passion.

UK Music Consumer Segment Groups		Size of the Group*		Understanding the Consumer Segment Groups
Omnivores		28%		Very active music purchasers, but they are not loyal. They like, want, and purchase everything – and generally consume every type of genre
Mainstream Followers		24%		Loosely engaged with somewhat ambivalent music tastes – they tend to just like the music that other people like
Cultural Independents		20%		Passionate, knowledgeable music fans with independent taste – they like to listen to music that other people don’t know about
Mainstream Leaders		19%		Pop culturists who are passionate about popular music - they know every song that’s popular and are leaders when it comes to knowing about pop music
Independent Followers		9%		Less engaged, casual music fans with independent tastes - they tend not to discover music on their own, because it’s not top of mind for them

*(based on the total number of online music purchasers in UK)

Bruno Crolot, midem Director, says: “We’re excited to bring this level of research and insight to the midem audience. This report highlights the changing interests and values of today’s online music consumers and is sure to spark a debate leading up to next week’s conference.”

“As the digital music marketplace becomes increasingly overcrowded, crafting the right consumer-targeting strategy is paramount in order to succeed in the online music industry in 2012,” said Adam Klein, President and CEO of eMusic.

“We have defined our target as the ‘Cultural Independents,’ who are more independent-minded music lovers that value collecting and owning music. We will continue to develop our service to meet their specific needs,” he continued.

The Mainstream Leader and Cultural Independent groups represent significant opportunities for digital music services in the UK. These consumers tend to be the “tastemakers” within social circles and more actively seek out new music.

Music Discovery across Consumer Segments

While the frequency of discovery varies across segments, a few sources stand out for all groups.

In this era of social sharing and streaming, the report shows that radio and TV continue to be the preferred way for music lovers to discover new music, due to its trusted authority and provider of curation.

UK Music Discovery Sources		% of UK general-population**
Radio		69%
TV or Movies		59%
Your Mates/Friends		58%
YouTube		57%
Facebook		35%

**(responses that indicated that they discover new music through that source at least twice a month)

eMusic’s Audience: The ‘Cultural Independents’

eMusic has defined its target consumer segment as the Cultural Independents.

As further detailed in the white paper, the Cultural Independents are defined by certain behaviours: 93% of their musical tastes are more offbeat, as opposed to mainstream, with 94% preferring music that is not available on popular radio stations.

To download the full white paper through midem, please visit: http://blog.midem.com/2012/01/emusic-targeting-opportunities-for-digital-music-consumer-segments/.

Notes to Editors

Study: Insight Strategy Group conducted this qualitative and quantitative survey for eMusic during December 2011. Respondents were adult online music buyers nationwide, including eMusic members. Sample size of 1400 male and female UK respondents between 18-64 years old.

About eMusic: eMusic is a digital music service for independent-minded music collectors. eMusic Members sign up for a monthly subscription that allows them to discover, download and own music. eMusic also sells downloadable audio books from all major audio book publishers. Headquartered in New York with an office in London, eMusic is available in the U.S., Canada, the E.U., Norway and Switzerland. eMusic.com Inc. is owned by Dimensional Associates, Inc., the private equity arm of JDS Capital Management, Inc. For more information, visit http://www.eMusic.com. NOTE: eMusic and the eMusic logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of eMusic.com Inc. in the U.S. or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About midem: midem is the place where music makers, cutting-edge technologies, brands & talent come together to enrich the passionate relationship between people & music, transform audience engagement & form new business connections. midem takes place in Cannes from 28th to 31st of January 2012.