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UK Leads in Mobile Music Consumption
M:Metrics has released its findings on the audience for mobile music in the USA and Western Europe. The measurement firm found that the UK boasts the highest percentage of mobile subscribers who used their mobile device as a music player in the month of July. At three percent, the volume of British mobile music consumers is higher than the Spanish (2.8%), U.S. (0.7%) and German (1.4%) audiences.
Mobile Music Consumption: Percentage of Subscriber Base: July 2006
| Germany | France | Spain | UK | US | |
| Used Phone as Music Player | 1.4% | 0.6% | 2.8% | 3.0% | 0.7% |
| Listened to Side-Loaded Music | 1.1% | 0.4% | 1.5% | 1.3% | 0.4% |
| Listened to Downloaded Music | 0.4% | 0.2% | 1.7% | 2.0% | 0.3% |
| Downloaded Music | 0.3% | 0.2% | 1.3% | 1.5% | 0.2% |
"A significant barrier to mobile music consumption is the dearth of devices that support the activity," said Seamus McAteer, senior analyst, M:Metrics. "We are, however, seeing an influx of music-friendly devices on the market, with removable storage and better interfaces for accessing songs, as well as consumer education by the operators, all of which will foster growth in the sector."
Top 3 Mobile Music Devices: July 2006
| Germany | France | Spain | UK | US |
| Nokia 6630 | Nokia 6680 | Nokia 6230 | Nokia N70 | LG VX8100 |
| Nokia N70 | Sony Ericsson V600i | Nokia 6630 | Nokia 6280 | Samsung MM A900 |
| Nokia 6680 | Samsung D500 | Samsung Z140 | Nokia 6230i | Samsung SCH-A950 |
M:Metrics also reported its ringtone consumption data, which reveals that the U.S. has the healthiest market for ringtones, at 10.4 percent penetration, followed by Spain, at 8.9 percent. Germany and France with 6.6 and 6.2 percent, respectively, of subscribers reporting they downloaded a ringtone, surpass the UK's 5.4 percent. Ringbacks are also gaining popularity. Again, Spaniards have adopted this form of personalization above all others -- at 9.7 percent, Spain has a sizable margin over the U.S., at 3.7 percent, as depicted in the table below.
Ringtone Consumption: Percentage of Subscriber Base: July 2006
| Germany | France | Spain | UK | US | |
| Purchased Ringtone | 6.6% | 6.2% | 8.9% | 5.4% | 10.4% |
| Downloaded Polyphonic Ringtone | 3.1% | 3.0% | 4.5% | 2.2% | 4.8% |
| Downloaded Mastertone | 3.1% | 2.8% | 3.7% | 2.9% | 5.1% |
| Ordered via Mobile Browser | 3.7% | 3.8% | 4.6% | 3.7% | 9.3% |
| Ordered via Short Code | 1.8% | 2.3% | 5.1% | 1.3% | 1.1% |
| Ordered on PC | 2.0% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 1.3% | 2.7% |
| Subscribed to Ringback Service | 1.3% | 2.3% | 9.7% | 0.7% | 3.7% |
M:Metrics data negates the presumption that the popularity of MP3 players or a rumored "iPhone" would threaten the market for mobile music. MP3 owners -- particularly Apple iPod owners -- are as much as two times more likely to consume music-related content than are other mobile subscribers.
"The ringtone market is experiencing a significant shift," said Paul Goode, senior analyst, Europe, for M:Metrics. "As mastertones supersede polyphonic tones, and short codes gain steam as a merchandising vehicle, the economics of the business will have to change. The availability of tools to make user-created ringtones more accessible to the masses poses an even greater threat to companies who can offer no additional value to a consumer who buys a ringtone in lieu of making one herself.""
Posted to the site on 13th September 2006