America Isn’t Just Listening Audio Has Become a Daily Companion

Across the country, audio has become one of the most consistent parts of people’s lives. This study reveals that listening is no longer a background activity it’s a meaningful ritual shaped by emotion, identity, convenience, and routine.

Most Americans engage with audio every day, weaving music, podcasts, radio, social clips, and ambient sound into nearly every part of their lives. Audio now accompanies commutes, chores, workouts, workdays, quiet moments, emotional resets, and transitions.

Listening isn’t passive. It’s intentional.

More than three in four Americans say audio is part of their daily routine, including 39% who say audio is essential and they’re always listening, and another 38% who say it’s a regular part of their day.

Only 4% say music or audio content does not play a meaningful role in their everyday life a sign that listening has become close to universal in modern routines.

In general, what role does music or audio content play in your day to day life?

Audio Today Is a Multi Format World

Music remains the emotional core of American listening, but the audio landscape has expanded dramatically. Social media audio clips are now as common as traditional radio. Podcasts rival talk radio. Ambient sound and nature audio have carved out a cultural niche.

Americans don’t choose one format they move fluidly across many.

This audio mosaic reflects modern listening behavior: people reach for different sounds depending on their mood, needs, and environment.

On average, Americans consume nearly five different audio categories rotating across music, radio, podcasts, news and talk audio, social audio clips, ambient sound, and more.

Music leads overall reach at 60%, followed by AM FM radio (53%) and news and talk audio (39%). Podcasts are now nearly as common as talk radio, with 37% listening while 34% consume social media driven audio (short clips, loops, or chats).

Other notable formats include ambient sound (25%), satellite radio (22%), audiobooks (18%), and meditation and mindfulness audio (11%).

Which of the following kinds of content do you listen to at any given time? Select all that apply.

Listening Frequency Once Audio Fits, It Becomes a Habit

Audio isn’t occasional it’s habitual. Once people find the formats they like, they tend to listen frequently, often building listening into the same time windows every day.

Among listeners, daily usage is especially high for social media audio (79%) and music and playlists (71%).

Traditional audio remains deeply embedded in daily life too: 59% of AM FM radio listeners tune in daily, and 61% of satellite radio listeners do the same.

Podcast routines vary more, but about half of podcast listeners report near daily listening, showing that podcasts have moved from sometimes to part of the routine for a large share of Americans.

How often do you listen to music or audio content (podcasts, playlists, radio, etc.)?

Where Listening Happens Home First, Commute Second

Audio follows people everywhere, but it still has two major hubs: home and the car.

51% say their primary listening happens at home, while 26% say their main listening setting is the car or commute.

Smaller shares say most listening happens at work or while studying (8%) or during exercise (8%). Very few say their primary listening happens at social events or live concerts (4% each).

Where do you listen to music or audio content the most?

Why We Listen Audio as Emotional Regulation, Focus and Reset

The strongest finding of the study is emotional: Americans overwhelmingly turn to audio to regulate how they feel.

Music helps them unwind, boost their energy, reduce stress, create calm, and process emotions. Many describe it as therapeutic even identity defining. Audio isn’t just background noise it’s a stabilizing force that helps people feel grounded, centered, or recharged.

This emotional reliance on audio explains why listening is so frequent, so varied, and so deeply personal.

Relaxation is the top driver: 59% listen to unwind, and 47% listen to boost mood or energy.

Many also use audio for ambient background sound (35%), emotional connection or nostalgia (35%), and focus or productivity (25%).

Discovery ranks lower: only 19% primarily listen to find new music, and just 15% listen mainly to bond with others.

Audio is a go to stress reliever for nearly everyone: 90% say they are likely to turn to music or audio when overwhelmed, including 53% who say they are very likely to do so.

What are your main reasons for listening to music or audio content? Select up to 3

When you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, how likely are you to turn to music or audio content for relief?

What Americans Use to Disconnect Music Leads the Reset

When Americans want to unwind, music is the clear default: 74% choose music or playlists first when trying to reset.

Radio and talk audio (30%) and nature or white noise (29%) follow, while podcasts (25%), guided meditation (18%), and audiobooks (16%) play smaller but meaningful roles.

Which types of audio help you disconnect or reset? Select all that apply.

Music Isn’t Just Preference It’s Identity, Mood, and Therapy

Music is deeply personal: 70% say it’s part of their identity, and 72% say it helps them process emotions.

Eight in ten say listening to music is therapeutic, including 42% who strongly agree. Another 80% say certain songs can instantly shift their emotional state, highlighting how fast and powerful audio can be.

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

What role does music play in your life? (Select up to 2)

Do you think the music you listen to defines your generation?

Do you ever include music or audio as part of your wellness or mindfulness routine?

When you’re working or studying, do you prefer:

Platforms Matter But No One Has Won the Audio War

Unlike other media categories dominated by a few platforms, audio is fragmented. Americans mix and match services depending on cost, mood, content, and convenience.

People are loyal but not deeply loyal. If a platform changes price or experience, listeners will switch. Personalization, price, and hassle free listening matter more than brand prestige.

This makes the audio economy one of the most competitive and fluid digital ecosystems today.

No single platform dominates Americans typically report using two to three audio platforms overall.

The most used platforms are YouTube Music (42%) and Spotify (37%), followed by Apple Music (25%), Amazon Music (25%), and Pandora (25%).

Traditional and hybrid platforms maintain relevance: iHeartRadio (18%) and SiriusXM (18%) continue to attract meaningful audiences, while smaller groups use niche platforms like SoundCloud (10%) and Tidal (3%).

Which apps are you using to stream music or audio content? Select all that apply.

Paid Subscriptions Common, But Not Universal

About two thirds of Americans pay for at least one audio subscription, while 35% rely only on free or ad supported listening.

Paid subscriptions align with overall platform usage: Spotify Premium (23%), YouTube Music Premium (20%), and Apple Music (17%) lead the pack.

Other paid services include Amazon Music (14%), SiriusXM (13%), Pandora Premium (9%), and iHeartRadio Plus (6%), with niche platforms drawing just 2 to 4% of paying listeners.

Of the apps you identified that you use, which, if any, do you pay a premium subscription for? Select all that apply

Why People Switch Platforms Price, Ads, and Better Content

Cost is king: the top reason people would switch platforms is a lower price or attractive free option (32%).

Close behind: better music and podcast selection (31%), fewer ads (30%), better sound quality (25%), and benefits tied to bundled access or stronger personalization (20%).

What would be your reasons for switching from one music or audio content platform to another?

Discovery Is Social But Listening Is Personal

Americans find new audio through friends, family, social media, and algorithms. But when it comes to trust, they rely most on themselves.

Playlist culture remains dominant: most listeners curate their own soundtracks rather than depending on tastemakers or influencers. Sharing audio content is common, but not universal, highlighting that listening often feels intimate, reflective, and individually meaningful.

Discovery is powered first by personal networks: 46% cite friends and family as a top way they discover new music or audio, followed by social media (41%).

Algorithmic recommendations are also central: 39% discover through platform recommendations, alongside traditional radio (35%).

Secondary discovery channels include TV and film placements (30%), and smaller shares cite blogs, magazines, and curated playlists (16%) and live events (16%).

When it comes to trust, self discovery dominates: 50% trust their own exploration the most, compared with 36% who trust friends and peers most. Only 14% place the greatest trust in influencers, journalists, DJs, or tastemakers.

How do you discover new music or audio content?

Who do you trust the most when it comes to finding new music?

Playlist Culture Curated, Personal, and Common

Playlist creation is the norm: 65% curate their own listening experience.

Meanwhile, 15% rely on playlists made by others, 9% depend mainly on algorithmic mixes, and 11% are album first listeners, showing that even in a playlist era, meaningful listening styles still vary.

Which best describes your playlist behavior?

Sharing Is Mixed Many Recommend Occasionally, Many Don’t

Sharing behaviors vary widely: 23% share songs, playlists, or podcast recommendations often, and 33% share occasionally.

But 24% rarely share, and 20% never share audio recommendations at all, reinforcing that listening often feels personal, even when discovery is social.

How often do you share songs, playlists, or podcast recommendations with others?

Why This Study Matters

Audio is no longer simply entertainment. It’s emotional support, identity expression, mental health maintenance, habit building, and daily structure.

This study uncovers:

• How audio shapes emotional well being
• Why people return to the same formats every day
• The complex, dynamic relationship between listeners and platforms
• The emerging cultural role of podcasts, social audio, radio, and ambient sound
• How listening behaviors differ across age, lifestyle, emotion, and context

Topline snapshot: 39% are always listening, Americans use nearly five audio categories on average, 90% turn to audio when overwhelmed, and 35% rely entirely on free and ad supported listening. Audio isn’t a niche behavior it’s a daily system Americans use to manage mood, time, and life.

The full dataset reveals rich demographic patterns and platform behaviors that offer deeper insight into the future of music, audio, tech, media, and culture.