Bollywood is still the most preferred music genre followed closely by other Indian film music according a recent study by the market research firm Nielsen. The Nielsen Music 360: India Study is an online study of consumer interaction with music in India. Data for this study was collected from the 14th June to the 4th July 2018 via online surveys using third-party panels. A total of 1,570 interviews were conducted among ‘Online Consumers’ 16-45 years old from the A/B socioeconomic segments. Some of the findings are below:
How online Indians listen to music
- Streaming music videos (21.6%)
- Streaming music through audio services (16.9%)
- Listening to a digital music library (16.3%)
- Watching music channels on television (14.8%)
- Listening to the radio (10.8%)
In the US, audio streaming makes up 23% of music listening time followed by AM/FM radio (19%), digital music (14%), streaming music videos (13%) and physical music formats (11%).
Top 5 Indian Music Genres
- Bollywood
- Other Indian Film Music
- Indian Pop
- Indian Regional Folk
- Western Pop
By comparison the top three music genres in the US are Classic Rock followed by Oldies and then Pop/Top 40.
Top 3 Indian music streamers
- YouTube
- Jio Music
- Google Play
In the US, the top streamers are YouTube followed by Pandora and then Spotify.
The survey found that ‘Music outranks all other interests/hobbies as an important/very important part of online consumers’ lives in India, more than sports (67%) and cooking/food (66%). In total, 94% of online consumers listen to music throughout the year. Indian online consumers listen to music for 20 hours/week on average compared with the US general population who listen to music for 32 hours/week.’
Respondents told the survey that ‘music outranks all other interests/hobbies as an important/very important part of online consumers’ lives, more than sports (67%) and cooking and food (66%). In total, 94% of online consumers listen to music throughout the year.’
For those who wish to read the full results of the survey, it can be found here.
