One of the most interesting speakers we heard at the recently-wrapped Music Matters Asia conference was Ian Stewart, Senior VP of Viacom Brand Solutions and MTV Networks International. Ian presented the results of this year’s Music Matters survey, a barometer read of musical tastes and tendencies across Asia. You can view the full results here.
The survey polled a total of 5,741 urban middle class participants ages 15-34 in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, Australia, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and India. A whopping 93% of respondents described themselves as “passionate about music,” and 85% “like music,” compared to 67% in 2007. This rise may be due to increased exposure and ease of access: 66% say they listen to more music now that it’s digital.
What this demographic is listening to these days varies widely from country to country. 74% of Chinese respondents said they like Western music, compared to 95% in Malaysia and 62% in India. This may be inversely proportional to each country’s homegrown music industry. India churns out pop stars by the dozen, and China’s not too far behind, with more respondents than in any other country (98%) who like local music. In each country’s rankings of top five favourite artists, a handful of global superstars made the cut (Gwen Stefani, Linkin Park, Beyonce, Simple Plan and Robbie Williams). But for the most part, “local language drives preference.” Koreans like to listen to people singing/rapping in Korean. Likewise for the Philippines, Taiwan, etc…Southeast Asia tends more toward rock and indie, while North Asia (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea) prefers hip hop, R&B and ballads. China’s favourite singers are:
- Jay Chou
- Andy Lau
- Faye Wong
- Jacky Cheung
- Wang Lee-hom
Interestingly, only one of these artists (Faye Wong) is actually from mainland China. Chou is Taiwanese, Lau and Cheung are from Hong Kong, and Wang (who played a supporting role in Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution) hails from Rochester, NY.
Perhaps the two most promising trends in China’s music industry are the rise of mobile downloads and the growing appetite for live music. China leads the pack in the mobile trend, with 68% of Chinese respondents who reported downloading music to their mobiles within the past month. 76% in China said that they would opt to replace their mp3 player with a mobile music phone, and 11% say that their mobile phone is their primary music player.
As for live music, across the region, 36% reported having been to a concert recently, up from 18% in 2007. At 42%, China is higher than the regional average.
Lots of those polled aren’t paying for music. No surprises there. In China, only 45% reported having paid for a CD in the past month (but who’s to say whether they paid full price or got a heavily discounted, pirated version?), 18% had paid to download music, and 81% had downloaded music for free.
The growing enthusiasm of fans, fueled by digital downloads, is a promising trend. It’s up to industry professionals to figure out ways to engage with listeners and tap into their demands. The appetite for mobile downloads and live music warrant further discussion in separate posts.