Countless editions of this newsletter have illustrated the power of music in reaching audiences daily. Eighty-seven percent of Americans 13+ engage with music listening in some form daily. Share of Ear® from Edison Research at SSRS, shows which music platforms have the highest daily reach, and how that has changed over time.  

AM/FM radio was the clear and decisive music leader in Share of Ear’s first releases, but the platform’s music dominance has fallen over time. In 2015, 61% of Americans 13+ reported listening to any music via AM/FM Radio or Radio Streams during their listening day. At that time just over one-quarter, 27%, of Americans reported listening to any Streaming Music during their day, significantly below Radio’s daily music reach.  

As of Q2 2026, Streaming Music now has the highest daily music reach, at 46% of Americans 13+. AM/FM daily music reach is not too far behind at 43%.  

 However, advertisers might be more interested in the reach of ad-supported music, and in that case AM/FM music radio enjoys more than double the reach of Streaming Music, as much of Streaming Music’s listening goes to paid, non-commercial options. For ad-supported music listening reach, AM/FM Radio and radio streams lea d Streaming Music 43% to 19%.  

Share of Ear not only captures daily music reach for AM/FM Radio and Streaming Music, but for all platforms across the audio ecosystem. Contact our team today to learn more about a full Share of Ear subscription.