"Year after year, one of the most important indicators remains unchanged: 92% of Latvian residents between 18 and 60 years of age listen to music recordings," Liena Edvardsa, executive director of LaIPA, commented on the annual sociological survey on music consumption habits of Latvian society.
The study is being carried out for the ninth year, and comparisons of the results of the study provide opportunities to follow up on how the music usage habits of Latvian residents change, what music is preferred, and what is the tendency in the public opinion regarding intellectual property issues in the sector.
Traditionally, the study, conducted in collaboration with LaIPA by the sociological research agency Kantar, also suggests the most popular genres of music. In this regard, pop music still holds a strong lead – 40% of the population consumes it. Pop music's popularity hasn't changed much in recent years, fluctuating around 40% since 2019. Rock music is just as stable in the second position. This is regularly listened to by 17% of the population, according to the 2023 survey. That figure, too, has been virtually flat over the years.
As usual, the study also includes questions about how to get music. The absolute majority of respondents indicate that music recordings are not purchased 70% of respondents said so. “If we compare the answers to this question in previous years, for example, compared to 2019, the number of such residents has dropped slightly – from 78% to 70%,” said Liena Edvardsa, “but this is still a high indicator. This means that listeners do not spend money on their favorite music.”
This is also confirmed by data on listening habits: most listeners use internet resources (83%) and radio stations (82%) to consume music. But of those who consume music on the internet, only 10% use paid streaming services.
Interestingly, of those who have spent money buying music records (24% of those surveyed, again in this respect, the figure has not changed significantly over the years), a significant proportion have not spent more than €10 on this in a year.
Of those who have spent money on music, 10% use streaming services, 5% pay for YouTube Music, 2% have bought a CD or DVD, and 1% have downloaded music for a fee on the Internet or purchased a vinyl.
Almost half of Latvian residents – 43% – copy music recordings. According to the survey, mobile phones (23%), computers (14%) and USB flash drives (12%) are the most commonly used for copying.
