People on Twitter purchased 77pc more digital downloads, on average, than those who were not using Twitter, according to a new report by NPD Research.
According to NPD, a leading market research company, awareness of Twitter more than doubled in the first quarter of 2009, reaching a 52pc awareness level among the US internet-using population, which increased from 22pc awareness in the fourth quarter of 2008.
Among music buyers, awareness of Twitter reached 67pc in the first quarter. In addition, 12pc of music buyers claimed to have used Twitter in the past three months, versus 8pc of web users overall.
“NPD’s latest music-acquisition study shows there are segments of consumers who are more actively integrating Twitter as a key tool for communicating and networking,” said Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD.
“Based on their music-purchasing history, active Twitter users are simply worth more to record labels and music retailers than those who are not using Twitter.”
According to NPD’s consumer tracking, 33pc of Twitter users reported buying a CD in the prior three months, and 34pc claimed to have purchased a digital download, which compares positively to overall web users (at 23pc and 16pc, respectively).
When Twitter users purchased music, they also spent more money than did their non-Twitter counterparts. In fact, people on Twitter purchased 77pc more digital downloads, on average, than those who were not using Twitter.
Twitter users are also much more likely than average web users to be engaged in online music activities – one-third listened to music on a social-networking site, 41pc listened to online radio (compared to 22pc among all web users), and 39pc watched a music video online (versus 25pc among all web users).
Twitter users were also twice as likely than average web users to visit MySpace Music and Pandora.
“Twitter has the potential to help foster the discovery of new music, and improve targeted marketing of music to groups of highly involved and technologically savvy consumers, but it has to be done right,” Crupnick said.
“There must be a careful balance struck between entertainment and direct conversation on one hand, and marketing on the other. Used properly, Twitter has the power to entertain – and to motivate music fans to purchase more new albums, downloads, merchandise and concert tickets,” added Crupnick.
By John Kennedy
