Market research company Ipsos-Insight on Tuesday announced the results of TEMPO, a quarterly survey of digital music behaviors. According to the report, consumers aged 12 and older in the United States were as likely to be aware of Apple Computer Inc.’s iTunes Music Store and Napster 2.0 when it came to recognizing digital music download brands — each music service registered 20 percent of what TEMPO refers to as “top-of-mind” awareness.
When prompted for brand names, 79 percent of those downloaders surveyed recognized the Napster 2.0 brand, while 46 percent were aware of iTunes. No other music store reached those marks, though RealPlayer Music Store, MusicMatch, Realone RadioPass and other services were noted.
Ipsos-Insight Vice President Matt Kleinschmit said that Apple’s brand-building of the iTunes Music Store is no small feat, all things considered. “… Apple’s iTunes Music Store, although introduced only 18 months ago, demonstrates consumer top-of-mind awareness equal to that of the Napster brand, which was established in the late ’90s,” said Kleinschmit. “What this suggests is that brand maturity is not a prime indicator of category ownership in the still youthful digital music market.”
The TEMPO study also determined that music downloaders are most likely to find important factors like good sound quality, low prices, a broad selection and a perception of good value. A “hip or cool site” and the ability to exchange ideas or recommendations with other users (like the iTunes Music Store’s “iMix” feature) are cited as less important.