Worldwide and U.S. Paid Music Service Provider 2005-2009 Forecast and Analysis: Small Today but Here to Stay

This IDC study presents a forecast and analysis of the worldwide and U.S. paid music service provider (MSP) market. It includes user and revenue forecasts for IP-based pay-per-download services (such as Apple's iTunes Music Store and MSN Music) and IP-based subscription services (such as MusicNet@AOL and Rhapsody To Go). It also identifies and discusses factors driving or inhibiting the adoption of these services.

The first major section of this study is the Situation Overview, which describes the current state of the worldwide and U.S. paid MSP market and the trends that have affected it during the past 18 months as well as the types of vendors that are entering the market. The next major section is the Future Outlook, which presents IDC's updated worldwide and U.S. paid MSP users/subscribers and revenue forecast for 2005–2009 and lists key forecast assumptions.

"You can lead music consumers to IP-based paid MSPs, but you can't make them listen. Today, only a few are using paid MSPs, but longer term — outside of this forecast — IDC expects that IP-based and wireless music services will supplant the CD as a favorite source of recorded music." — Susan Kevorkian, IDC senior research analyst, Consumer Markets: Audio