People are now more likely to stream music from the internet than pay to download it, says a new survey by research agency Nielsen for Midem.
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The Hyper-Fragmented World of Music survey gathered data from 26,644 respondents across 53 markets last September, according to a report by MusicWeek.
The survey found that 17 per cent of those polled paid to download music while 26 per cent said they streamed their music. Just under half of the respondents admitted to downloading music without paying for it and of those who downloaded, less than ten per cent had downloaded a full album.
While the big-name streaming services are still struggling to turn a profit, just 22 per cent of those who had used a streaming service said it was something they would pay for.
Ad-funded streaming services however were rated by as many as 57 per cent of respondents, while 37 per cent said they would give certain personal information abou themselves in exchange for free music.
Smart phones and mobile phones are likely to be the key drivers for streaming services, with the report finding that 18 per cent of respondents had paid to download music to their handsets.