According to Thomas George, Country Manager and SVP, CMR, “Music consumption in India is undergoing a slow but gradual evolution. In the ‘streaming era’, the way people listen to music is shaping the music industry. Digital music streaming has emerged as a mainstream channel for those on the move.”

55% of those surveyed indicate spending 20-30% of their time listening to music. Out of those surveyed, an overwhelming 66% listened to music while in-transit. 22% listen to music at home, while 14% take work breaks and listen to music.

“Mobile is the key conduit for listening music, with music streaming apps now being preferred over YouTube. As mobile continues to drive affordability and accessibility, more number of Indians are streaming music. Music app preferences in India are dictated by the choice of songs available in music app library, with freemium apps dominating paid subscriptions,” said Prabhu Ram, Head – Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR.

An overwhelming majority of those surveyed indicated ‘free’ music as their key consideration. When it came to choosing music app,  some key considerations include the strength of the songs library (51%) and key music app features (9%).

Gaana emerged as the most favored app (25%), followed by Apple Music (20%), YouTube (20%) and Wynk (14%).

When it comes to Spotify, only 50% of those surveyed being aware of it. When probed further, only 40% indicated giving Spotify a try.

“As a new entrant, Spotify would have to look at ‘creative’ strategies to connect with Indians and India. Given the choices available in the market, and with competition from the likes of JioSaavn and Gaana, it would make it more difficult for Spotify to compete. It would be interesting to see how Spotify capitalizes in such a hyper-competitive market,” added Prabhu.

Free, or almost free, music is what consumers seek. An overwhelming majority of those surveyed indicated that they would not like to pay for music.

The Survey covered 2500 respondents across top eight cities of India, cutting across age groups, demographics, and gender.