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Reggae Ranked In Top 10 Of World’s Favourite Music Genres, New IFPI Study Shows

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reggae

Reggae music is ranked in the top 10 most listened to music genres, out of more than 500 music genres of the world, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry’s (IFPI) Engaging with Music 2022 study.

Released on Thursday, the global study, which explored “the ways that people listen to, discover, and engage with music around the world,” placed Reggae at number 10 behind Pop, which sits at number one, followed by Rock, Hip-Hop/Rap, Dance/Electronic, Latin, Classical/Opera, R&B, Soundtracks and Country.

ifpi

According to the IFPI, Engaging with Music 2022 is the largest music-focused consumer study worldwide. It was carried out amongst a demographically representative sample of the online population aged 16-64 in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, UK and USA.

“The study was also conducted amongst 16–44-year-olds in China, India, Indonesia, and Nigeria. As in 2021, results from China and India are not included in ‘global’ figures cited in this report as the size of these countries would have a considerable impact on the weighted average figures used,” the researchers noted in the methodology.

Additionally, the report noted that results from Indonesia and Nigeria are not included in global figures as the countries were newly added to the survey in 2022.

 “In total, over 44,000 internet users were surveyed with higher numbers of respondents in larger markets. Samples of 1,000, 2,000, or 4,000 respondents per market were set in accordance with online population size and demographic structure, as determined by the latest respective census data in each territory…,” the report noted.

According to the study, “overall, people listen to an average of 8 genres of music” and “the number of favourite genres is highest in those people most engaged with music such as people who subscribe to audio streaming and those who buy vinyl: both groups listen to 9 genres on average”.

It also noted that “the enduring popularity of radio continues, and music remains the key reason for people to tune in to their favourite stations around the world.

“Music remains key reason listeners tune into radio – The enduring popularity of radio continues, with 73 percent of respondents saying that they listen to radio primarily for music,” it stated.

“If the radio no longer played music, 84 percent of radio listeners would then seek music elsewhere, most often through a subscription streaming service,” the report explained, noting that “on average, people across the globe use more than six different methods to engage with music – ranging from video streaming to terrestrial radio, television, film, gaming soundtracks, creating short-form videos and much more,” the report continued.

Frances Moore, IFPI Chief Executive, is quoted as saying that this year’s Engaging with Music report “paints a fascinating picture of how fans around the globe listen and engage with music today” and “shows the results of record companies’ partnership with artists and their work to harness new technologies to connect fans with their favourite tracks in even more ways.”

“We continue our work to ensure that those seeking to profit from unlicensed and unauthorised music can’t threaten the vibrancy of a music ecosystem that is essential to artists and fans. Engaging with Music 2022 serves as a healthy and celebratory reminder of the true global importance and value of music and the need to protect and support it,” he stated.

Generally, the report noted that music fans are listening to more music today than ever before, spending on average 20.1 hours listening to music weekly, up from 18.4 hours in 2021. 

It also revealed that more than 45 percent of fans choose paid subscription services, while 46 percent of respondents use subscription audio streaming services, which offer uninterrupted and on-demand access to millions of licensed tracks.

On the negative side though, the Engaging with Music 2022 study noted that “unauthorised access to unlicensed music remains threat to music ecosystems” as almost one in three respondents (30 percent) used unauthorised or unlicensed methods to listen to or download music”.