Mobile phone Users with access to music bundled into their phone tariffs listen to music on their phones more actively than users without music bundles, according to the Strategy Analytics report "Listening to the Listeners: Mobile Music Survey Results" (http://sa-link.cc/zW).

The study – conducted across the US, China, France, Germany, Spain and the UK — revealed that 72% of mobile phone owners listen to music on their phone actively, or at least once a week, when music is bundled into their tariff compared to 46% for users without music bundled mobile plans.

"Mobile operators and handset manufacturers have a significant role to play in enabling the music industry to grow revenue through access to music that is bundled into customers' phone tariffs, or into the price of the phone," says Nitesh Patel, Director of Wireless Media Strategies, at Strategy Analytics. "Fast growing streaming digital music services such as Spotify, Deezer and Rhapsody have all benefited from bundling their music services into mobile tariffs, while operators can differentiate tariffs from competitors and improve customer loyalty. "

Furthermore, 29% of surveyed consumers identified their mobile phone brand in the top three preferred music service providers compared to 23% identifying their mobile operator."

Currently 77% of consumers claim to listen to music on their phone with over two thirds (70%) claiming to do so at least once per week or more. Notably, a significant proportion of older age groups also listen to music on their phone, with 52% of consumers 55 years old and above listening to music on their phone, and almost 60% doing so once per week or more.

"The survey results underline the extent to which mobile phones are substituting dedicated portable music playing devices as the preferred device for listening to music while on the move," says David MacQueen, executive director of Apps & Media at Strategy Analytics. "Key players in the music industry cannot afford to neglect this trend, particularly among older age segments which clearly see the value of converging music access and communications into the mobile form factor."