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Mobile music demand doubles in US, still disappointing

By: , IntoMobile
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 1:59 PM

Sony Ericsson W302 musicphone

Imagine a world where your mobile phone is more than just a cellphone. That world would have you using your handset to take pictures and video, send messages to loved ones on the other side of the globe and listen to music. In fact, with the growing popularity if smartphones, this kind of “converged world” is starting to become a reality. But, there are still hurdles to be overcome. Take, for example, the sad state of mobile music consumption in the US. Forrester’s new report shows that demand for mobile music has doubled in the past year, which is good, but that only amounts to 10% of American adults using their mobile phones to listen to music.

American attitudes towards mobile phones seems to lag behind the UK and populated China. In the UK, 27% of Brits listen to music on their handsets at least once a month. Population centers in China see an astounding 70% of their adult population using the handset for music. While those outside the US are more inclined to embrace the “converged world,” Americans are apparently still holding on to their dedicated music players.

It’s clear that adoption of mobile music has a ways to go. As it stands today, 60% of American mobile phone owners indicated that they wouldn’t be buying music through their handsets anytime soon. The gap between availability and consumption of mobile music is closing, but slower than we would have thought.

[Via: MocoNews]

About The Author

Will Park

Will hails from The City of Angels - Los Angeles, California. He spends his time playing with his numerous gadgets and looking forward to seeing what future holds for mobile technology. An avid promoter of a fully "digital" life, he promotes the widespread adoption of truly mobile, paper-less living. He dreams of the day when he can go completely digital. No more snail mail, paper receipts, bound books, notepads/spiral notebooks, credit cards, hard currency. He's a digital warrior - fighting for the converged life. He is an idealist and a realist - he has a perfect view of what the world should be but knows that the world is not perfect. Can we ever hope to see Will's dream become reality? We'll see...