Music Listening in Finland 2023: listening to music with earphones or headphones is increasing, sense of community is being sought from music events
According to Teosto and IFPI Finland’s Music Listening in Finland 2023 survey, music is at least somewhat important to 89% of Finns. More than one thousand 13–75-year-olds, of whom most were aged 13–18, responded to the survey in Norstat’s consumer panel in August 2023.
Intense music listening using headphones or earphones is growing in popularity and, according to the respondents’ own estimates, is approaching an average of 50% of all music listening. One in three Finns across all age groups and more than 75% of under 25s use earphones or headphones for at least 70% of their music listening time. Only 15% of Finns never use headphones or earphones to listen to music.
“Closing your ears to the rest of the world is a mass phenomenon, and the market for headphones and earphones is growing globally at an average annual rate of 10%. However, when it comes to total listening time, the share of more passive radio listening, such as through car radio listening, is still bigger than that of intense listening with headphones or earphones,” says Kari Tervonen, the Music Listening in Finland 2023 survey’s lead researcher from Omnicom Media Group.
Car radio is still the most common device for listening to music for Finns across all age groups; however, for 13–45-year-olds, the most commonly used device was already one’s own phone.
Music is a way to overcome loneliness and connect with other people
According to the survey, music is at least somewhat important to 89% of Finns. Music is especially important to 16–18-year-olds, people who live alone, people dealing with a difficult life situation and fans of rarer genres of music and art music genres.
Music is used to fight loneliness, difficult life situations and empty moments. Music also helps many people feel that they are building connections with other people.
Even though Finns listen to recorded music by themselves using earphones or headphones, Finns also seek shared music listening experiences through live music events. The number of people attending concerts and gigs increased from 2022, returning to pre-pandemic levels.
Finns reported that they attend concerts and gigs as frequently as they did before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Sixty-four percent of Finns feel that live music has become even more important to them as the rest of the world becomes more digital. In 2023, total concert attendance grew by a few hundred thousand people from the previous year. Music and especially live events are ways to overcome loneliness and connect with other people,” Tervonen says.
More than half of Finns believe that attendance of music events at music clubs, restaurants, indoor ice rinks and big arenas will continue to grow. In practice, the largest events have increased their popularity and ticket sales the most. One third of respondents believe that art music and concert halls will grow in popularity.
Teosto and IFPI Finland’s Music Listening in Finland 2023 survey provided information about changes in Finns’ music listening habits over the longer term for the 10th time. The lead researcher was Kari Tervonen, Omnicom Media Group’s Roadmap Director, supported by Johanna Laitinen and Susanna Perämaa from Teosto and Tommi Kyyrä from IFPI Finland. The results of the survey were presented at the Music x Media event for professionals in Tampere on 6 October 2023.
Further information
Roadmap Director Kari Tervonen/Omnicom Media Group
tel. +358 (0)50 437 0677
kari.tervonen@omnicommediagroup.com
Communications Manager Johanna Laitinen/Teosto
tel. +358 (0)40 192 1900
johanna.laitinen@teosto.fi
Customer Experience Manager Susanna Perämaa/Teosto
tel. +358 (0)40 558 8023
susanna.peramaa@teosto.fi
Deputy Director Tommi Kyyrä/IFPI Finland
tel. +358 (0)50 566 422
tommi.kyyra@ifpi.fi
