American Drivers Still Want Traditional AM/FM Radios in Their Cars

Apr 14, 2015 04:30 PM EDT | Matt Mercuro

Cars and music go hand in hand. Like peanut butter and jelly, one without the other at this point seems strange.

Just like cars have evolved, so has the way we listen to music. No longer do we have to deal with static while cruising to a friend's house over a lost radio signal. We have smartphones, iPods or the latest streaming service that's of course better than the last one since it lets you listen to 12 songs in a row before an ad instead of 11.

Yes, we have plenty of options to enjoy our favorite bands and artists in the car, and more will surely come. Despite all of the advances made in electronic technologies, Americans apparently still really love their AM/FM car radios.

A recent study conducted by market research firm Ipsos shows that 84 percent of Americans still choose their car radios over CDs, iPods or streaming services like Spotify or Pandora.

Not only do drivers in the U.S. still like their radios, they listen a lot more than you think. About 62 percent of those surveyed listen to the radio at least once a day and 67 percent said their AM/FM radio is their main form of audio listening while in their car, according to the a Ipsos release.

As if that wasn't shocking enough, CDs are still a popular option, as 64 percent of those surveyed said they use them and carry an average 10.5 CDs in their car during their commute. (A couple of .5 CDs could probably be found in most of our cars, am I right?)

Consumers don't seem eager to buy new CDs though, as 68 percent said they haven't purchased a new one in the last year and 23 percent said they're too much money.

Cash seemed to play a big role in the survey responses, as less than one-third of those surveyed are paying for streaming services. About 80 percent of those who said they don't pay added that they would be willing to in the future.

So what does this all mean? The return of Sam Goody? Probably not, but knowing the car radio isn't dead is music to this writer's ears and hopefully to yours. 

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