Smartphone replaces CD as sound carrier
One in three people in Switzerland no longer prefer to listen to music in the traditional way. Moreover, nine out of ten users of music streaming services such as Spotify or Internet radio do not pay to listen to music. These are the findings of a representative survey commissioned by comparis.ch.
In 2013, Swiss people listened to music more often on their smartphone or computer than on a CD player. This was revealed by a survey of around 1,200 internet users conducted by the Link Institute in November among people aged between 15 and 74.
14% of respondents most frequently listen to music on their cell phone or smartphone. Together with computers, MP3 players and tablets, this results in a share of 32%, i.e. a good third of Swiss people. Only 9 percent of respondents listen to music most often on a CD player.
Moreover, users of online services are hardly willing to pay to listen to music. Streaming is always or mainly used by 93% of respondents without paying. The figure for internet radio is 91 percent. Download services are the most likely to be paid for: 45% of users say they pay for them.
However, there are certain question marks over the future viability of this model, says Comparis. Young Swiss people are also not very willing to pay for download services. In the age group up to 29 years, only 25 percent of users of Internet music services always or mainly pay, compared to 56 percent of people aged 30 and over.
