Media Audit Survey Finds Top 40 Listeners Buy The Most Music

Top 40/R Listeners Biggest Music Buyers

A new Radio Format study conducted by THE MEDIA AUDIT reveals that among the top-20 highest reaching radio formats, Top 40/Rhythmic listeners are the biggest consumers of CDs and digital music downloads. According to the study, 42.8% of the format's weekly listeners frequently purchase CDs or download digital music. Among all U.S. consumers, 27.7% frequently purchase CDs or download digital music. The figure represents more than 41 million consumers across THE MEDIA AUDIT's 81 measured markets.

Mainstream Top 40 ranked second in the study, with 42.4% of the format's weekly listeners who frequently purchase CDs or download digital music, followed by listeners of Urban (39.2%), Hot AC (38.3%) and Rock (36.4%). Frequent purchasers are defined as having purchased CDs or downloaded digital music within the past four weeks.

Among those who frequently purchase CDs and downloaded music, 49% are female, while 51% are male. Furthermore, 46.6% are between the ages of 25 and 44 and 67% are between the ages of 18 and 44. The same study reveals that frequent purchasers of CDs and downloaded music are 15% more likely to have a college degree and earn an average of $76,739 in household income. The figure is significantly higher when compared to the average household income of $64,316 for all U.S. adults.

Rounding out the top-10 radio formats for consumers of CDs and digital downloads are listeners of Urban AC, with 34.1% who frequently make purchases, followed by Sports (33.2%), Public Radio (32.7%), Classic Rock (31.5%) and AC (30.4%).

The Media Audit's National Radio Format Report measures more than sixty different radio formats, including satellite radio listening.

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