Americans Favor Paid Music Streaming Over Free Platforms
| RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, October 29, 2025 | 3:09pm CT |
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 Edison Research |
A new analysis from Edison Research's Share of Ear study reveals a major shift in how Americans consume streaming music. Over the past decade, listening habits have transitioned decisively from free, ad-supported platforms to paid subscription services.
In 2015, free streaming accounted for 78% of all time spent with streaming music sources among Americans aged 13 and older. That dominance began to wane in 2017, and by 2020, paid platforms surpassed free options for the first time.
As of 2025, the trend is even more pronounced -- Americans now spend 66% of their daily streaming music time on paid services and just 34% on free platforms.
Edison Research attributes this shift to several factors, including growing listener intolerance for advertising, increasingly competitive pricing among streaming providers, and the normalization of subscription-based media across entertainment categories.
Major players such as Spotify, iHeart, YouTube Music, Amazon, and Pandora continue to offer both free and premium tiers, but Share of Ear data suggests the value proposition of ad-free listening has won over most users.
