Report: Mobile music finding its groove

A new report issued by market research firm Ipsos reveals American consumer interest in mobile music services is on the upswing. Based on information collected between June 23 and July 3, 2006 from 1,143 U.S. mobile subscribers ages 12 and up, Ipsos finds four percent of wireless consumers have downloaded full digital songs via over-the-air services in the last 30 days, doubling 2005 percentages. With 14 percent of the overall U.S. mobile subscriber population now owning handsets with full-song download and playback capability, teens are the largest demographic employing OTA music services at 11 percent; adults ages 18 to 24 account for eight percent of downloads, with adults 25 to 34 responsible for seven percent. Men are currently twice as likely as women to download full songs, Ipsos added.

"These findings suggest that Americans are indeed aware of new [mobile] services and have also begun to experiment with them--particularly teens and young adults," Ipsos vice president and study author Matt Kleinschmit said in a prepared statement. "This is encouraging as these groups have traditionally shied away from fee-based digital music behaviors, and thus mobile acquisition may represent a key opportunity for bringing these music enthusiasts back into the realm of the legitimate digital music marketplace."

For more on Ipsos' research:
- read this release

Related article:
- Kids want more from mobile music services