Deezer's survey of 8 000 worldwide adults was conducted by 3Gem in January. The survey interviewed respondents from the United States of America, Germany, France and Brazil — 2 000 participants from each.

According to the study, having too much music to choose from, as well as a busy schedule, has added to the decline of albums. In addition, every one in 10 of the respondents also feel that artists don't make albums "like they used to".

Instead, almost 40% of listeners prefer playlists. Mood mixes have also become popular, while listeners over the age of 55 reported that they listen to individual songs instead (34%). Only 9% of the people interviewed indicated that they preferred albums. According to the survey, millennials are twice as likely as baby boomers to deep-dive into an album.

However, the study found that on average, users are streaming five albums per month. There was an indication of variation per country. Brazilians listen to the most, with French and Germans the least. While 36% listen to the tracks in chronological order, two in five (40%) Brazilians like shuffling their albums.

The research reported that 94% of participants agreed that higher audio quality is the most important feature for album listening. Four out of 10 people also listen to albums when they need a distraction. Meanwhile, 34% listen in their free time and over a quarter (26%) listen when they are happy.

The report also found that when a listener hears an album for the first time, it makes them feel happy (48%), excited (46%) and inspired (24%). "The amount of great music released these days is so huge, and available time has shrunk so much, it's no surprise that more music fans turn to playlists for their music fix," says Frederic Antelme, Deezer's VP of content and productions. "But listeners shouldn't ditch albums. They represent the artist's vision, tell a story and take you on a musical journey."

"They actually give you deeper listening experience. That's why people pay much more attention to the sound quality when listening to albums. The small details matter and Hi-Fi sound bring that out. As a music fan, I can honestly recommend all listeners enjoy a full album from their favourite artist, even if it's just from time to time," concludes Antelme.

According to the study, pop and rock are ahead when it comes to the albums that get listeners' 'feet tapping'. Local genres are also popular. For Brazil, Sertanejo is popluar (44%), as is Variété Français in France (43%) and Schlager in Germany (24%).

Additionally, the study discovered that music is best enjoyed at home. Eighty-two percent of the participants prefer listening in the comfort of their own house. At the same time, 42% report that they like listening to an album during a car journey, followed by on a walk, the commute and then in bed.

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