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As Media Options Increase, Radio and Podcasts are Go-To Music Sources for Consumers in Canada

2 minute read | July 2019

With so many media choices available today, it’s easy to get swept up in the fanfare around whatever’s new and cutting edge. And as a result, perceptions around long-standing media shift. Attitudes about radio are the perfect example, as it’s easy to think that emerging media options have become the go-to options for on-the-go consumers, particularly younger generations. Truth be told, however, radio is anything but a dying medium.

In Canada, radio remains one of the most popular and wide-reaching ways to listen to music. In fact, according to Nielsen’s fifth annual Canada Music 360 report, 58% of consumers in Canada tune to radio to get their music fixes. 

Despite having a lifespan of over one hundred years, radio has evolved with the times, as online radio is now the go-to listening format among teens and young adults, as 67% of teens and 73% of Millennials listen to music online in a typical week, compared with 50% of Canada’s general population. And as a result, online streaming plays a huge role in music discovery among young listeners, as 58% of teens and 68% of Millennials discover new music through online streaming, well above the 45% among the general population. Comparatively, 65% of the general population is exposed to new music via traditional radio. 

While radio—traditional, streaming and satellite—continues to hold its own for music listening across Canada, there’s no denying the growth of podcast listening as well. Across the general population, 33% of consumers say they listen to more podcast content than they did a year ago. Among Millennials, the growth is notably higher: 47%.

The important thing about podcast listening in Canada is that it’s having an effect on the amount of time consumers spend with other forms of media, particularly music and TV. This is especially the case with teens and young adults, who are pulling back on their TV viewing and music listening as they consume more podcast content. For example, 39% of teens say they spend less time listening to music because of their podcast consumption, and Millennials spend 16% less time with friends because of their podcast consumption.

Learn more about the 2019 Canada Music 360 Report here.

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