Click Rate: The second of three CRS research panels presented Thursday (3/19) by Strategic Solutions Research found that two thirds of those surveyed listen to country music the most, but only 16% listen exclusively. Fifty-four percent called country music “a major part of their identity,” and 52% said they’re listening more to country now than six months ago. But radio is far from their only source of music, with 79% using streaming services, 70% using YouTube and 41% getting music from social media. Listeners also said they prefer playlists curated by humans rather than AI by a margin of five to one.

Radio serves as a music discovery tool, with 49% of those surveyed saying it’s where they find new music, compared to 25% citing DSPs. Other strengths they perceive radio has over DSPs include a “sense of community” (cited by 41% of respondents), local personalities (36%) and local connections (31%). The full study will be posted on CountryRadioSeminar.com in the coming days.