Americans are listening to more new music during coronavirus pandemic, new study says | NME

Over 40 per cent of people in the USA are listening to new music during the coronavirus pandemic, a new study has found.

The statistic comes from the third iteration of Billboard and Nielsen Music/MRC Data’s study entitled “COVID-19: Tracking the Impact on the Entertainment Landscape”. The study – which can be found in full behind Billboard‘s paywall – been conducted at two-week intervals since March 25. The study uses a panel of 1,010 people ages 13+, a sample considered representative of the U.S.’s census population.

The latest study found that while 84 per cent of people were listening to the music they usually listen to, 43 per cent are listening to new music from artists they’ve never listened to before – a four per cent increase from the study’s last iteration.

Music video streams have increased by 10 per cent from the average, while genre listenership for country, children’s and classical has also seen a boost.

The Billboard study also gauged interest in live music. More than half of the people surveyed were enthusiastic for the return of concerts with hygiene precautions, including hand sanitiser stations, lowered capacity limits, and the opening of outdoor venues first. Temperature checks at the entrance or security checkpoints garnered support from 35 per cent of those surveyed.

The nonprofit Event Safety Alliance (ESA) published yesterday (May 12) new recommended safety guidelines for music venues and small events in the US to follow at the end of the coronavirus lockdown.

Among the ESA’s recommendations for venues and events were the requirement of masks, hand-washing every hour (as well as after sneezing, mopping, smoking, eating and drinking), sanitising door handles, taps and lift buttons, and temperature screenings for every customer.