"digital music" articles

The smart TV is now the most important video consumption device in US households for a variety of reasons . Not only is it consumers’ most-adopted video device and their most favored as the primary device for watching video, it is also the device best able to collect data on consumers’ combined entertainment consumption behavior and serve them targeted advertising. The companies controlling the smart TV platforms in use today are thus in control of the most significant point...

A video service seeking to maximize its available market, reach, and related revenue potential needs to support a variety of device types and platforms. Beyond simple maximization of the available market, Parks Associates data suggests that broad multiplatform support is a necessity for video services in the current consumer video consumption climate. Our consumer data shows that 39% of broadband households watch video using all platforms: TVs and TV-connected devices, mobile devices,...

On June 3 at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple announced the end of one of its flagship programs. iTunes, the media management and marketplace that was once synonymous with online music for a generation, will end its 18 year run as the primary tool for Apple customers when the new MacOS launches. While the nostalgia of uploading Green Day and *NSYNC CDs to a computer (and subsequently to an iPod) probably makes many millennials long for the romantic simplicity of...

Any time you ask someone about the great things they saw at CES, you need to take their response with a grain (or heaping tablespoon) of salt. The issue is scope. The Consumer Electronics Show is far too big for any one person to get an accurate perspective given all of the keynotes, workshops press events, booths, theaters, and corporate suites to be navigated over a handful of days. For me, I try to sneak away from the suites for a few hours to track down major trends, look into...

  One of the most exciting topics at this year's Consumer Electronics Show was voice assistants. Amazon and Google are competing head-to-head in this space, with Samsung beginning to roll out Bixby to more devices. Amazon is well in the lead with well over 40M Echo sales to date according to Parks Associates' estimates, but Google's efforts in conversational AI and deep integration with search is helping to make Google Home a compelling value...

This is an interesting time to be in music streaming. Competition is rife, and the margins are thin. The largest players are either unicorns in search of profitability (i.e., Spotify, Pandora) or tech giants looking to lock consumers into their ecosystem (Apple, Google, Amazon). Smaller players are increasingly looking at ways to differentiate and stay afloat. For example, Sprint recently announced that it is acquiring one-third of TIDAL, a rebranding of the Norwegian WiMP service...

Today’s launch of Amazon’s standalone streaming music service , Amazon Music Unlimited, will definitely have an impact for the streaming music industry. Amazon announced a standard $9.99 per month price, but a $2 discount for Amazon Prime members and a $3.99 per month rate for Amazon Echo owners. The Amazon Echo offering does not include the ability to listen on alternative devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and computers. Parks Associates research indicates a...

The power of audio was a reoccurring theme at yesterday’s CEDIA session: Growth & Future Outlook for the High-End Audio Market. Consumers’ attachment to music is a key influencer in the audio market. According to Parks Associates research, two-thirds of U.S. broadband households use a streaming audio service. The panelists discussed current trends and the future outlook of the market. The session featured: Brad Russell , Research Analyst, Parks Associates...