Oh kids these days…. CDs are lame. MP3s are so 2008. According to a recent Nielsen study, the vast majority of teenagers get their music from YouTube. Here’s the scoop from the Wall Street Journal:
Nearly two-thirds of U.S. teenagers under the age of 18 say they use Google Inc.’s video-sharing site to listen to music, more than any other medium, according to a new consumer survey from Nielsen Co., one of many challenges facing record companies as they transition into the digital world.
This surprised the hell out of me, but perhaps it shouldn’t have. The first time I went online with a computer was with a 300 baud modem on a Commodore 64. I listened to eight-track cartridges and records as a kid. I can’t imagine what it’s like growing up with the easy access to information that the Internet provides. I would have guessed that teenagers preferred getting music from a digital retailer like Amazon or Apple. After further thought, YouTube is free and simple. Considering that many American teenagers have 24/7 Internet access then it’s no wonder that YouTube is the most popular music source for that demographic.
Any of you surprised by Nielsen’s findings?
Not really, only because I’ve thought of (and have done) this myself a few times. In my defense, I’ve only used YouTube to look up AWESOME music videos that I USED to watch on MTV (back when MTV actually showed music videos) like, say… oh, I don’t know… California:
-M
I know people who still get most of their music from YouTube. Then again, they are listening to the video as an MP3, which they ripped from the video using third-party software.
Yeah, ripping an MP3 from a compressed Flash video…not for me.