77.2 mln listen to digital music on PCs, 53.5 mln listen to streaming radio

In March 2005 77.2 mln customers listened to digital music stored on a computer, up 22% from 63.2 mln in March 2004, according to The NPD Group. Online radio stations had 53.5 mln listeners in March 2005, up from 45.3 mln in March 2004. Free streaming of music also saw gains, with a rise of 37%, to 46 mln listeners. Though radio continued to be the preferred medium, the number of consumers listening to radio fell by 4% in March 2005 to 194 mln, down from 203 mln in March 2004.