A new survey of British consumers suggests that people older than 35 may be being “left out in the cold” by music-streaming services.
And while there’s a caveat here – the research was commissioned by Electric Jukebox, which is launching a streaming service aimed at exactly that demographic – YouGov’s 2,000-person survey still throws up some talking points.
The study claims that 16% of millennials – defined as 14-34 year-olds in this case – have music-streaming subscriptions, compared to 6% of Generation X consumers (35-55 year-olds) and 3% of Baby Boomers (over-55s).
“Our research finds the older you are, the less likely you are to stream music and that if you’re over 35 you’re very unlikely to be a subscriber,” said CEO Rob Lewis.
“The music streaming industry is missing a huge trick as the over 35’s love music, and have the most time and money to spend on it, but are the least engaged by subscription based streaming.”
“The complexity of existing services, combined with monthly subscription commitments, has created a black hole for alienated Generation X and Baby Boomers who are twice the size of the Millennial market and have far more spending power.”
Electric Jukebox’s survey also claimed that 42% of respondents still see CDs and radio as “easier” than music-streaming, while only 18% think streaming is easier.
Millennials buck that trend (44% of 18-24 year-olds think streaming is easier) while older people are even more likely to still find CDs and radio a friendlier experience.
The challenge for Electric Jukebox – but also for the big established streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Napster and Google Play etc – is how to sell Generation Xers and Baby Boomers on the merits of streaming: first to make their services more accessible for these people, and then to communicate that to them.
Electric Jukebox is still taking pre-orders for its £149 set-top box, which will come with a year’s subscription to its streaming service. It was due to launch before Christmas in the UK and US, but then slipped to Easter.
With Easter having come and gone, we’re waiting to see when Electric Jukebox will start shipping the devices in the UK, having pulled its US launch due to concerns about mechanical publishing licensing there.
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