Majority of Americans Pay for Audio, But Some are Cutting Services
By Edison Research
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For all of human history until the advent of the phonograph, the notion of ‘owning’ music or speech-based audio didn’t exist, beyond perhaps music boxes. Physical recordings, from the wax-coated cylinders used in Edison’s original gramophone through the CD era of the late 20th century, allowed one to purchase and then enjoy audio content by command. Today, the dominant fashion for most is again not to own music or audiobooks but to essentially ‘rent’ the content through paid subscriptions. But just how many people are paying for these services? We can turn to Share of Ear to find out.
Just over one-half of Americans 13+ pay for at least one audio subscription service as of Q1 2025. This is primarily composed of people paying for one audio subscription service: 35% of Americans 13+. Some people pay for more than one service. Fully 10% of Americans 13+ subscribe to two audio services and an additional 6% pay for more than two subscription services.
How have these numbers changed over time? We can trend Share of Ear back to 2014, but for today’s Weekly Insight we’ll compare back to Q4 2022. The percent of Americans who pay for at least one service has stayed relatively consistent, hovering around 50%. We do see some change when we look at those who pay for one service and those who pay for more than two. Since 2022, the percentage of people who pay for more than two audio services has declined from 13% in Q4 of 2022 to 6% in Q4 2025. As a result, the percentage who pay for just one service has increased from 28% to 35%.
Talks of an ‘imminent recession’ have been circulating for years now and many might regard audio subscriptions as a less-than-necessary expense. Could this be a sign that Americans are tightening their belts to accommodate for current or potential economic hardships? How else might changes in the economy affect audio consumption? Check back into Weekly Insights from Edison Research to find out.
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