Call-out vs Music Streaming Research. Why are there Discrepancies?

Music Programmers Ponder the discrepancies between traditional “call-out” research and music streaming

Let’s delve into why these differences occur:

* Nature of Data Collection:

* Call-Out Research: In traditional call-out research, participants are asked to evaluate songs based on short clips or snippets. They provide feedback on whether they like or dislike the song, its catchiness, and other subjective aspects.

* Streaming Consumption Research: Streaming platforms collect data passively as users listen to full songs. This data includes play counts, skip rates, and user behavior over extended periods.

* Sampling Bias:

* Call-Out Research: Participants in call-out studies may not represent the entire listener population. Their preferences might not align with the broader audience.

* Streaming Consumption Research: Streaming data reflects actual behavior across diverse demographics, providing a more comprehensive view of what people actually listen to.

* Context and Intent:

* Call-Out Research: Participants evaluate songs in isolation, without considering real-world contexts (e.g., mood, activity, social setting).

* Streaming Consumption Research: Users stream music during various activities (commuting, working out, relaxing), which influences their choices. Streaming data captures this context.

* Sampling Duration:

* Call-Out Research: Participants hear short clips, often less than 30 seconds. Their preferences might change when listening to the full song.

* Streaming Consumption Research: Full-length song plays provide a more accurate representation of listener preferences.

* Recency Bias:

* Call-Out Research: Participants evaluate new songs, which may lead to a bias toward novelty.

* Streaming Consumption Research: Streaming data includes both new releases and older tracks, reflecting long-term popularity.

* Social Influence:

* Call-Out Research: Participants’ opinions may be influenced by perceived social norms or expectations.

* Streaming Consumption Research: Users choose songs independently, without external pressure.

* Algorithmic Recommendations:

* Streaming Consumption Research: Algorithms recommend songs based on user history, leading to personalized playlists. This influences consumption patterns.

* Call-Out Research: Doesn’t account for personalized recommendations.

* Radio Airplay and Repetition:

* Radio Stations: They often play songs repeatedly to maintain familiarity and audience retention. This practice can inflate airplay metrics.

* Streaming Services: User-driven choices determine play counts, reducing repetition bias.

* Monetary Incentives:

* Streaming Platforms: Artists earn royalties based on streams, incentivizing users to explore diverse content.

* Radio Stations: Airplay doesn’t directly impact artist earnings, so they may stick to safe, familiar songs.

* Industry Practices and Tradition:

* Radio: Legacy practices and programming traditions influence song selection.

* Streaming: Disrupts traditional models, allowing for greater diversity.

In summary, while call-out research provides valuable insights, streaming consumption data offers a more holistic view of music preferences. Radio stations, however, continue to balance tradition, audience expectations, and commercial interests when choosing songs for airplay12.

2024 -The Year of Gen Alpha

It's the only generation born fully in the 21st century: the oldest are about 13, and the youngest will be born in the coming year.

The big picture: Enter Generation Alpha, the first entirely online cohort. Its members have grappled with a climate crisis and pandemic — and can spend money more easily at their age than even their savviest close elders.

  • Seen as "a landmark generation," Gen Alpha — born between 2010 and 2024 — is expected to be the largest in history at more than 2 billion people, per Mark McCrindle, a social researcher who coined "Generation Alpha" and determined its bounds.

  • Mostly the children of millennials, their immediate predecessors belong to Gen Z, who could overtake Baby Boomers in the workplace in 2024, per Glassdoor.

  • This generation is still being born (plus "generation" framing itself is always under revision), so Alpha's future impact isn't yet totally known. But existing indicators are already too big to ignore.

Growing up online

The intrigue: The youngest members of Gen Alpha — whose oldest members were born after Apple had already iterated on the iPhone — have been dubbed "iPad kids."

  • Its oldest members happened to be born the year the iPad debuted.

These kids also have TikTok as a growing platform of choice. Unlike millennials' pre-algorithm Facebook, TikTok repeatedly exposes users to anyone and everyone, rather than just networks of friends and family.

  • "Anyone can go viral at any moment," MaryLeigh Bliss, the chief content officer at YPulse, told Axios.

By the numbers: Millennial parents are giving kids their first smartphones at about 9 years old, Bliss said.

  • 79% of millennial parents said their kids are on social media, per YPulse.

  • 44% of millennial parents said their kids watch video content on a smartphone at least weekly, per YPulse.

Quick take: "They're having a media-centric childhood in a way that is different because of the kinds of media they're interacting with from incredibly young ages," Bliss said.

As for artificial intelligence, Siri and Alexa have been in their parents' pockets or homes for most of their lives.

  • Tech like ChatGPT is being used in schools as a learning tool.

  • "Alpha have only ever known a world of the blurring of AI and the human," McCrindle said.

Defining event: COVID-19 pandemic

COVID cemented online interaction as a norm for kids.

  • They attended virtual school, and a larger share of parents now work from home as a byproduct of the pandemic.

Threat level: Metrics of learning and success in education have taken significant hits since 2020.

Social connections and behavior have suffered too, said Tori Cordiano, a child and adolescent psychologist.

  • "Many of them were not in school at all in person, and many of them took much longer to come back consistently," she said. "We're now seeing the holdover effects."

  • "They just haven't had as much practice" making friends and being exposed to new environments, Cordiano said.

Yes, but: Youth know how to make connections online, for better or for worse.

  • 43% of millennial parents say their kids have had a virtual playdate or hung out with friends in virtual spaces, per YPulse. (Not just on Zoom — Minecraft playdates are a thing.)

  • Ideally, those online ties "translate into meaningful, ongoing and hopefully in-person relationships," Cordiano said.

Developing consumer habits and purchasing power

Brands are already targeting youth with marketing.

Zoom in: Companies are reaching children on social media such as TikTok and YouTube, often through influencers, said Jennifer Mapes-Christ, a market researcher at The Freedonia Group.

  • "It allows different types of people to see themselves in the products in a way they maybe didn't before," she said.

Reality check: The older kids in the age group are still nearing the legal working age. But they're starting to have financial liberties.

Born during the hottest years on record

Flashback: In 2010, the combined land and ocean surface temperature tied with 2005 as the warmest on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Now, 2010 is the 10th warmest year on record.

Zoom out: Anxiety about social issues overall, including the climate, is rising in youth, per Cordiano.

  • Kids are having a hard time disconnecting from torrents of information, causing "higher risk for burnout for the things that are important to them," she said.

  • In a survey, 87% of 13-15-year-olds agreed that it is up to their generation to stop climate change from worsening, per YPulse.

The bottom line: Gen Alpha is entrenched in social and political spheres.

  • Members have expressed care in ending racism and alleviating poverty, regardless of their own experiences, according to research from McCrindle's firm.

  • "Alphas bring a sense of empathy because they are connected globally to the issues of their world," McCrindle said.

7 Trends for advertisers in 2024

7 trends for advertisers to watch in 2024

1. Stability in digital ad spend. Next year, US digital ad spend will hit $306.94 billion, up from $270.24 billion this year.

2. The loss of cookies will lead to consolidation. With Google’s full phaseout of cookies set for 2024, expect a push for mergers and acquisitions among ID providers.

3. AI will continue to make its mark. generative AI will become more widespread in: a) Creative ideation and media planning. b) ID-free targeting: Generative AI is supercharging the process of targeting groups of people based on context, rather than just trying to pinpoint individuals based on identity signals

C) Search: Expect more generative AI-powered tools and algorithms in social search.

4. Nielsen’s role in TV measurement will evolve

5. Increased demand for cohesive digital experiences. Better and more user-friendly ways to navigate and avoid content fragmentation spread out among different services. It could also mean more bundling.

6. Ad-supported streaming will be more popular. US ad-supported video-on-demand viewers will reach 180.2 million in 2024.

Apple TV+ will likely be the last major streaming service to launch an ad-supported tier.

7. Smaller social walled gardens will continue to reduce use of mass social media platforms due to negative environments, bullying & conspiratorial tendencies.

with thanks to eMarketer & Insider Intelligence