Nielsen Entertainment’s Broadcast Data Systems (BDS) today announced that it will commence measuring tethered digital music downloads from the Internet’s leading providers including MusicNet (supplying tethered digital music engine for companies such as AOL, Yahoo!, Virgin Digital, Cdigix), Napster and RealNetworks’ Rhapsody. This new information will be added to programmed and on-demand streaming which is already available in Nielsen BDS. The Nielsen BDS data matrix is the exclusive source for comprehensive measurement of music performances in traditional broadcast radio, satellite radio, music video outlets, Internet streaming, and now tethered downloads. The tethered music information will identify and display the number of times U.S.consumers listen to specific song titles in the music libraries of all of the subscription services.
Tethered music downloads are digital songs available on an unlimited basis through online music subscription services. The subscription model gives consumers access to listen to an unlimited number of songs from a substantial catalog (on PC or portable music player) for a flat monthly fee. Subscriptions services have grown significantly in the past year with more than two million current subscribers.
“Nielsen Music services are acknowledged as the global leader in measuring music consumption. By adding tethered download measurement to our BDS services, as a companion feature to our tracking of digital download sales in Nielsen SoundScan, we are following through on our charter to provide unparalleled information and analysis to our clients in the recorded music industry” said Rob Sisco, President of Nielsen Music.
Nielsen BDS currently measures online digital music streams and on-demand music from AOL Music and Yahoo! Music, and will be expanding this measurement by adding streams from Napster, RealNetworks’ Rhapsody and MusicNet. With these additions, Nielsen BDS projects that it will be tracking more than 100 million streams a week and estimates that it will track more than 5 million tethered plays a week by the end of 2005. Nielsen BDS currently monitors music performances from more than 1,400 radio stations, all major music video outlets in the U.S and Canada and satellite radio from XM and Sirius.
Nielsen Entertainment’s BDS captures in excess of 100 million song detections annually on more than 1,400 radio stations in over 150 markets in the U.S. Canada. Record labels, music radio programmers, music publishers and performing rights organizations rely on Nielsen Entertainment’s BDS for information about music performances. Nielsen Entertainment’s products such as BDS and SoundScan provide data that Billboard magazine uses to determine its airplay and sales charts. Affiliated Nielsen Entertainment companies SoundScan, VideoScan and BookScan carry point-of-sale information in the music, video and book publishing arenas respectively. Nielsen Entertainment’s BDS subscribers include record labels, radio stations, concert promoters, music publishers, and advertising agencies. Nielsen Entertainment’s SoundScan accrues sales information from more than 20,000 retailer locations in the U.S., including digitally downloaded tracks, singles, and albums, accounting for more than ten million sales transactions per week, representing more than 90% of over-the-counter music product sales in the nation.
About Nielsen Entertainment
Through custom research, consulting and the world's most comprehensive network of entertainment measurement systems and analysis, Nielsen Entertainment delivers Actionable Entertainment Intelligence to clients engaged in the business of selling entertainment and trading in the marketplace of our popular culture.
Nielsen Entertainment’s AEI products give clients unrivaled perspective from which to steer business decisions, providing the measure and the motivation in one package; comparing what the consumer says they do and what they actually do, in any given environment including film, television, music, books, and interactive media.
Nielsen Entertainment is comprised of the following businesses: National Research Group (NRG), EDI and EDI International, Television Services, SoundScan, Broadcast Data Systems (BDS), Music Control, VideoScan, Market Navigator, BookScan, BookData, and Interactive Entertainment, and utilizes the full portfolio of sister companies including Nielsen Media Research (television ratings) and Nielsen Net Ratings (internet usage) to deliver a whole media point of view. Nielsen Entertainment is a global leader in information services for the media and entertainment industries.
About MusicNet
MusicNet is the world's leading business-to-business digital music service provider. The top U.S. and global consumer brands private label MusicNet’s comprehensive suite of digital music services. MusicNet enables its partners to offer their customers a fully customized experience, including the ability to buy music downloads and subscriptions, choose from more than 1.8 million tracks (the industry’s largest catalog of licensed music), explore engaging editorial programming and enjoy an easy-to-use interface. Headquartered in New York, MusicNet is wholly-owned by Baker Capital, a New York-based private equity firm with $1.5 billion under management. For more information, please visit www.musicnet.com.
About Napster
Napster, the biggest brand in digital music, is a subscription service that enables fans to freely sample the world’s largest and most diverse online collection of music and move an unlimited amount of songs to compatible MP3 players. Napster members have access to songs from all major labels and hundreds of independents and have more ways to discover, share and acquire new music and old favorites with community features like the ability to email tracks to friends and browse other members' collections. Napster also offers Napster Light, a "lighter" version of the service for those who just want to purchase songs and albums a la carte. Napster is currently available in the United States, Canada and the U.K. and is headquartered in Los Angeles with sales offices in New York, London and Frankfurt.
About RealNetworks, Inc.
RealNetworks, Inc. is the leading creator of digital media services and software including the award-winning Rhapsody Internet jukebox service and RealPlayer® 10, the first product to integrate finding, organizing, buying, playing and managing digital audio and video in a single product. Consumers can access and experience audio/video programming and download RealNetworks’ consumer software at http://www.real.com. Broadcasters, network operators, media companies and enterprises use RealNetworks’ products and services to create and deliver digital media to PCs, mobile phones and consumer electronics devices. RealNetworks’ systems and corporate information is located at http://www.realnetworks.com.
