Media research company NuVoodoo says broadcast radio beats Pandora for music satisfaction.
The firm, which serves broadcast radio stations among its clients, has been dribbling out results of its latest research, in which it interviewed about 1,100 people to explore the relationship between broadcast radio and digital music company Pandora.
“The findings indicate that 62% of Pandora users listen to Pandora at least 30 minutes per day and nearly as many Pandora users spend that much time daily with broadcast radio,” it stated. “As Pandora experience increases, so does the percentage that listen to it at least 30 minutes. But the percentage spending at least that much time with broadcast radio did not decrease.”
It quoted VP of Research Leigh Jacobs saying a goal was to learn whether Pandora’s algorithms create more enjoyable playlists than broadcast humans do. “Our data show that broadcast beats Pandora for music satisfaction — big among those who align themselves with rock-leaning formats.” See graphic at bottom.
Jacobs said that while Pandora and similar services offer “endless” customization, “we know that few take advantage of all those possibilities. What it sets up is a massive number of swing voters – consumers whose time we could pull back from Pandora with the right promotional tactics or lower commercial loads.”
Jacobs said the results “validate our hypothesis that longer experience with Pandora doesn’t equate to less listening to broadcast radio.”
The company makes detailed findings available to its paying clients.
NuVoodoo is led by Carolyn Gilbert, who founded Critical Mass Media in the 1980s and has worked in research roles at Clear Channel and Tribune.
