4.85 bln hours spent on online music in 2007

Music radio online generated 4.85 bln total listening hours in 2007, up 26.1% over 2006, according to AccuStream iMedia Research. Total listening hours averaged 404.2 mln hours per month (excluding downloaded music), compared to a 320.5 mln hour average in 2006, including leading music subscription services such as Napster, Yahoo! Music and Rhapsody.

Shoutcast (owned by AOL) remains the top platform/destination in the music radio segment, with 48.4% of total listening hours for the year, followed by Clear Channel Online, Yahoo! Music, AOL Radio Networks and Pandora. The two leading subscription services combined captured approximately 4% of listening hour share in 2007. Internet Music Radio ad billings came in at $80 mln in 2007 for audio ads, up 194% over the $26.9 mln comparable in 2006. Adding another $12–$15 mln generated through video ads placed inside music channel environments, the market was worth approximately $92 mln in 2007.