A recent Pew study in the U.S. has found that there is continuing growth in smartphone ownership in younger demographics, altering the ways that they consume music.
 
85% of young people aged between 18-29 own a smartphone, well ahead of the 64% U.S. national average. The 30-49 age group has a 79% level of ownership while the 50-60 demographic dips below the national average with a 54% ownership rate.

So why does the demographic with the least disposable income fork out the most for this particular luxury item?
 
The answer is that they find the most value in smartphones, as the features they offer are most applicable to younger lifestyles.

One prominent feature is the ways in which smartphones offer the consumption of music. On top of being mp3 players, apps like Spotify, Itunes, Shazam, Tidal and iHeartRadio offer diverse and accessible music experiences to smartphone users that can be accessed on the go.
 
These features clearly appeal to younger demographics with 64% of smartphone users aged from 18-29 consuming music on their smartphones, well ahead of the 41% national average. This shift in the consumption of leaves industries like radio needing to innovate in order to keep up.