 RAIN 11/12: Americans streaming as much as they're downloading music, study finds ·Nov 12, 10:35 AM NPD: STREAMING, DOWNLOADING NECK-AND-NECK, AND THAT’S NOT INCLUDING MOBILEAmericans in August streamed music online just about as much as they download music, according to newly published findings from the NPD Group. According to Evolver.fm, around 30% of Americans downloaded music to their PCs in August compared to 29% who streamed music on their computers. The two figures are “likely now in a dead heat,” writes Evolver.fm.
“Not only is music streaming growing faster than music downloading in the United States,” continues Evolver.fm, “but if the trend continues it will become the dominant computer music listening behavior in this country in a matter of months — and that’s before you take into account smartphone and television streaming.” It’s not clear if the NPD Group includes Internet radio streaming in their figures, or just on-demand listening. In either case, it spotlights the evolving listening habits of music-lovers in the U.S. You can find Evolver.fm’s full coverage here. GLOBAL SMARTPHONE SALES UP 96%A new global study from Gartner found that smartphone sales are up 96% over last year. However, they still trail “feature phones” in popularity.
“This sales bump may indicate a pent-up demand for smartphones,” comments CNN (here. “But the problem with pent-up demand is that it’s hard to predict how far it will go. This trend could continue until everyone has a smartphone — or it could hit one of several walls.” We’ve seen high levels of smartphone adoption here in the U.S. (RAIN coverage here), but it’s interesting to see the rest of the world (including China, Africa, and India, CNN notes) follow suit. Smartphones may increase in popularity too as prices of devices and data plans drop (RAIN coverage here).
KCRW ANDROID APP EARNS 5 STAR REVIEW FROM APPOLICIOUSApp review site Appolicious recently took KCRW’s Android app for a spin and found plenty to like. “Overall, it’s a fantastic station that you can take with you anywhere, even if you live nowhere near LA.” The app features 3 radio streams plus an on-demand section.Continues Appolocious, “Sure, there are many other streaming radio apps out there, but this one-station app offers more quality programming than a dozen other mediocre stations put together. It’s free, so don’t hesitate.” Find the full review here. CHIP CHICK REVIEWS ALURATEK WI-FI RADIO Tech site Chip Chick has posted a fairly in-depth review of Aluratek’s Wi-Fi Radio (technically the Aluratek AIRMM02F Internet Radio). “It has a nice slim appearance, and pretty decent sound quality,” writes Chip Chick. However, set-up is apparently difficult, especially when trying to set the device’s alarm clock function. Overall, while a useful gadget, Chip Chick thinks the Aluratek web radio is a bit overpriced at $100. You can find their full review here.
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CommentCommenting is closed for this article.  Other stories RAIN has upgraded (and moved)! RAIN 9/13: RAIN Summit Chicago takes place today! RAIN 9/12: First Summit in RAIN's hometown takes place tomorrow RAIN 9/9: Summer holidays, "doldrums" impact July Webcast Metrics, but audience up over last year RAIN 9/8: Clear Channel launches new customizable iHeartRadio beta; RAIN goes hands-on RAIN 9/7: Meet more speakers you'll hear at RAIN Summit Chicago in less than a week RAIN 9/6: Clear Channel taps The Echo Nest to take on Pandora RAIN 9/2: RAIN reviews Spotify's radio-like product Artist Radio RAIN 9/1: UK online radio aggregator Radioplayer campaigns b'dcasters to create "all radio" ratings RAIN 8/31: Execs from Merlin, Triton Digital, jacAPPS and more to appear at RAIN Summit Chicago |
