Radio Still Beats Online Services For Music Discovery

How do you stay up to date with the latest musical hits? For many Americans, their dusty old radio in the corner of the kitchen beats their shiny new smartphone for music discovery. That's according to a recent survey from Edison Research which found that 19 percent of Americans use AM/FM radio most often to stay up to date with the latest hits. It also found that friends and family are the primary source of music discovery (22 percent), though radio certainly gives streaming a run for its money.

YouTube is the most popular online platform when it comes to finding new music with 15 percent of Edison's respondents saying they use it most often to stay up to date. Spotify follows with 10 percent while Pandora is the third most popular online choice with 9 percent. The latter just launched its premium music streaming service but it might prove a tall order to loosen radio's stranglehold on music discovery.