BERLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leading classical music streaming service IDAGIO has released “The Classical Music Market: Streaming’s Next Genre?”. Conducted by media insights and analysis provider MIDiA Research, the comprehensive white paper dives deep into the classical music market, analyzing classical music fans across eight major music markets including the US, UK, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Mexico and South Korea. The paper explores not just the classical music market, but also the listening trends and behaviors of classical music listeners around the world. With the report finding that classical music listeners are currently among the most engaged, it dispels some common myths about who classical music fans are and explores how streaming is enticing a new generation of listeners from across the globe to the genre.
Often considered a niche category, the study found that classical music in fact ranks as the fourth most popular music genre worldwide. The report suggested that 35% of the global adult population listens to classical music – the same percentage as country music and a higher percentage than R&B or hip hop. It also found that classical music is not just consumed by older generations, as clichés tend to suggest, but that the genre is increasingly finding its way to younger audiences around the world with 30% of listeners under the age of 35 and 31% aged between 25 and 34.
Mark Mulligan, Managing Director at MIDiA Research, said: “There is often an assumption that classical music is for an older, traditional audience that doesn’t enjoy other forms of music, but that is simply not the case. Our research revealed that while there are certainly more traditional classical music fans, there is also a new wave of youthful and digitally savvy consumers, who listen to classical music as part of a wide range of interests and tastes. Streaming is helping create a new generation of classical music fans, capturing the attention of these new millennial music consumers, and the industry is seeing that classical music is likely to see a significant shift as more younger consumers discover the genre.”
Till Janczukowicz, Founder and CEO of IDAGIO: “This research points to a fruitful and prosperous future for audiences, artists and for classical music as a genre. For some time, the death of classical music was a popular story to tell. Evidence was often anecdotal and based on observations of white-haired concert goers in western concert venues. Numbers have proven such bias wrong. Streaming plays a key role in shaping the future of classical music and in introducing the genre to new audiences across the globe.”
This study found that streaming plays a crucial part in generating new audiences for classical music, especially with features such as ‘mood-based’ playlists. The streaming potential of classical music is highlighted by the fact that almost half of adults who stream classical music consider it to be a great way to listen to the genre and one in five classical music listeners prefer a dedicated classical music streaming service over a service that offers all genres. Streaming is becoming a key way of how listeners find new music, with 42% of listeners stating that they are discovering music through streaming services.
Overall, the study found that the outlook for classical music is bright, with technologies such as streaming ushering in a new wave of listeners and habits. The full findings of the report can be downloaded in the white paper HERE. For more details visit www.IDAGIO.com and www.midiaresearch.com.
About IDAGIO
IDAGIO is the leading streaming service for classical music. Crafted in Berlin by a world-class team of over 90 passionate experts in music, technology, business and design, IDAGIO offers a search tailor-made for classical music, a catalogue of over 2 million licensed tracks, and exclusive recordings and playlists – all available in CD-quality sound (FLAC). IDAGIO has subscribers in over 190 countries and the app has been downloaded more than 1.5 million times worldwide. The company is managed by founder Till Janczukowicz and co-founder Christoph Lange. Together the duo combines long experience of the classical world with first-rate expertise in streaming technology.
About MIDiA Research
MIDiA Research is a media analysis and insights provider focused on the intersection of technology and content. MIDiA Research leverages multi-country consumer data, market forecasts and other proprietary data tools to provide unrivalled insight into the rapidly changing global digital content markets. Our coverage includes music, online video, mobile content and paid content strategy. For more information, visit www.midiaresearch.com
** This study was put together by MIDiA Research from an online consumer survey of 8,000 adult music consumers across eight markets: the USA, UK, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Mexico and South Korea. Additionally, MIDiA’s 2018 market models were used to calculate market values and trends for the classical genre. This work was commissioned by IDAGIO, the leading streaming service for classical music with over 1.5 million app downloads globally and paying subscribers in over 190 countries worldwide.
