Report: AM/FM, Amazon Music Lead Smart Speaker Audience Share.

Story by Inside Radio

When consumers access music on their smart speakers, AM/FM is their first choice, followed by Amazon Music. This is certainly good news for radio broadcasters, since adoption of the platform isn’t slowing down. According to the Westwood One 2019 Audioscape report that utilizes data from Edison Research and Advertiser Perceptions, the number of Americans that own a smart speaker increased threefold from Q2 2017 to Q2 2019.

In second quarter 2019, Westwood One reports that AM/FM radio commandeered 18% of the share of listening on smart speakers; and Amazon Music held a 17% share, according to Edison Research. “This is a result of AM/FM radio stations developing voice-activated applications to enable listening on smart speakers and their aggressive promotion of Alexa and Google Home listening,” the report offers.

Following AM/FM and Amazon Music are Pandora (13%), other streaming audio (12%), owned music (12%), Spotify (9%), SiriusXM (9%), audiobooks (5%) and podcasts (3%).



Meanwhile, the number of those with at least one smart speaker in the home continues to spike, Edison Research’s “Share of Ear” notes. In Q2 2019, 30% of Americans reported owning a smart speaker, compared to 10% in Q2 2017. In just the last quarter, the percentage has grown 3%.

Meanwhile, marketers and agencies are immersing themselves in voice-activated advertising, according to WWO, which commissioned Advertiser Perceptions to ask more than 300 marketers and agencies for their perspective about advertising on smart speakers—in January 2018 and again in March 2019. In a little over a year, the number utilizing smart speaker opportunities doubled from 18% in January 2018 to 36% in March 2019. Among media agencies and brands who haven’t started using smart speaker applications, their likelihood to use these marketing initiatives within the next 6 months has also increased. This year, consideration and especially intention to become involved in voiced-activated opportunities have grown by double digits, by +26% and +69%, respectively.