Library listeningHow do members want to access recorded music from Auckland Libraries?

27 May 2016

Auckland Libraries has for many years provided recorded music for customers to use or borrow. With the popularity of music downloads and streaming, we wanted to know if we should be should be providing more music in digital formats.

Problem

Library listening

Do they want Auckland Libraries to provide a music streaming/download service and would they use such an offering if it was available?

Solution - ask our members!

Methodology

Short (6 minute) online survey

• Link emailed to selected members• Available on Auckland Libraries website• Promoted on social media and in community libraries• Paper version available in community libraries• Open for 11 days• Prize draw of 3 X $50 movie vouchers

Invited by email 12,000 adult (18+ years) library members invited via email

Music CD on loan   309 3%

Randomly selected1162097%

Participated

740 people completed the survey

Email link44961%

Website link21429%

Paper  7710%

27%

5%3%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

Opened email Clicked link Completed survey

Email response rate

Interested in the subject – not a representative sample of library users

Who took part?• Users of all libraries except Great Barrier• 86% active members (borrowed something in last year).

43% had borrowed music CDs; 3% used music database

41%56%

3%

29%

63%

8%

Male Female Unknown0%

25%

50%

75%

Gender Survey

Adultmembers

3% 3%

37% 38%

20%

3%9%

36% 33%21%

1%0%

25%

50% Age group Survey

Members 15+

49263%

11214%

506%

456%

101%

314%

446%

EthnicityEuropean (incl NZ European, Pakeha)

Asian

Pacific Peoples

Maori

Middle Eastern/Latin American/African

Other Ethnicity

Prefer not to say

What music formats do you listen to?• Everyone listened to

music• 89% used some form of

digital format • Pacific (98%), Maori

(96%) & under 25 year old participants (98%) highest digital users

• Music CDs the most popular single format (79%)

• Youtube most popular digital format (66%)

• ⅔ of those using streaming used Spotify the most

0%

7%

10%

16%

21%

23%

37%

39%

45%

58%

66%

79%

I don't listen to music

Something else (please tell us)

File sharing websites (e.g. Torrent sites)

Freeview TV

Vinyl records

Share files with friends and family

Online radio

Streaming services(e.g. Spotify)

Downloads I've purchased(e.g. from Itunes)

Conventional radio

Youtube

CDs

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

Which music formats would you like to borrow or use through Auckland Libraries?

3%

4%

8%

11%

29%

38%

40%

66%

Other

Unsure/Don't Know

Don't want to borrow or use any music

Vinyl records

Streaming service

Music DVDs

File downloads

Music CDs

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

3%

4%

8%

11%

29%

38%

40%

66%

2%

2%

14%

8%

34%

30%

48%

52%

2%

4%

4%

9%

33%

36%

40%

58%

2%

6%

9%

12%

35%

24%

49%

54%

3%

3%

11%

14%

46%

28%

46%

54%

Other

Unsure/Don't Know

Don't want to borrow or use any music

Vinyl records

Streaming service

Music DVDs

File downloads

Music CDs

0% 25% 50% 75%

Use streamingUnder 25MaoriPacificAll respondents

Which music formats would you like to borrow or use? High digital users

If Auckland Libraries were to provide an online streaming/download service, which are the three most important features it should have?

4%

5%

17%

17%

17%

18%

19%

21%

26%

38%

50%

53%

Other

Unsure/Don't know

Unlimited listening time

Can create my own playlists

Good value for money

Has the latest releases

Unlimited downloads

Plays across all my devices

No ads

Easy to use

Free

Wide range of music

0% 25% 50% 75%quality or High quality or 

lossless audio, unavailable in MP3 formats

Asked of everyone who said they wanted to borrow some form of music through Auckland Libraries

If Auckland Libraries were to provide a streaming/download service which has the features that are important to you, how likely are you to use it?

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

All respondents

Pacific

Maori

Under 25

Use streaming

Do notstream/download

27%

19%

34%

27%

24%

31%

4%

2%

I would very interested in using it I would probably consider using it

I might use it ‐ I'd have to find more about it I probably wouldn't use it

I'm very unlikely to use it

64%

74%

61%

69%

71%

52%

4%

7%

8%

10%

Asked of everyone who said they wanted to borrow some form of music through Auckland Libraries

Likely to use• A library service would be safe, legal, good to support (9%)• Interested if free, easy to use with wide variety and latest releases (8%)• Like to access music in a variety of formats (5%)

Less likely to use• Don’t have technical know- how, connectivity, right equipment (4%)

What are the reasons for your answer above? (Likelihood of using an Auckland Libraries streaming/download service)

““Starting to be difficult to get music in other ways and I would trust a system provided by the library.”“Having a streaming site with unlimited downloads, new releases, and wide range of music would cater to everyone, even better if it was free!”“Music is really important for me and my family and access to a wide range of music via the library is something ““Getting the music I wanted legally and for free via a library streaming/download service would be awesome ‐ Kind of like having a free version of Itunes! ““Always good to find music in other ways...and to support Auckland Libraries too”

“not savvy enough with technology and there is always the virus issues...no matter how secure something is”“I have only a small amount of download data available on a monthly basis and we are unable to have anything more than rural broadband speeds”

More reasons for likelihood of using an AL streaming/download service• Happy with other streaming services – library would need to offer a point of difference

(9%)

• Interested if it had alternative and hard to source content, particularly NZ content (9%).

• Prefer CDs, poor audio quality of online services, looking for a “lossless” format (9%)

“I prefer the highest quality of data format which is on CD's/LPs whereas MP3 and like are compressed formats and so likely to be missing a certain detail”“Interested in wide range of music in lossless format only. Library is easy, excellent source.

“The devices and services I have, give me what I need through streaming. I’d only use it if It was something I didn’t have already”“Too many platforms to use as it is ‐ ideally I'd want Auckland Libraries' offering to work with/supplement what I'm already using”

“It would be good to have a streaming service that has a good selection of NZ music ( not found on Spotify)”“very interested in music downloading opportunities particularly more obscure, and/ or local music”

Thinking more generally about Auckland Libraries, how important do you feel it is for us to offer music in the following formats?

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

Vinyl records

Music DVDs

Music streaming services

Music download services

Music CDs

33%

11%

10%

8%

7%

19%

11%

9%

9%

6%

19%

24%

19%

17%

17%

10%

23%

22%

26%

20%

10%

28%

29%

33%

47%

8%

4%

10%

7%

2%

1 Not important at all 2 3 4 5 Very important Unsure

29%

59%

51%

51%

67%

Important for Auckland Libraries to offer / Want to use

20%

51%

51%

59%

68%

11%

29%

38%

40%

66%

0% 25% 50% 75%

Vinyl records

Music DVDs

Streaming

Music download services

Music CDs

Want to use

Important to offer

Have you any comments to add about Auckland Libraries music collections?

Many comments made early were repeated however most wanted to talk about Auckland Libraries’ CD collection• It was valued for its size and depth, people liked that they could suggest CDs for purchase and 

hoped CDs would be retained. 

• Some complaints that CDs were damaged, hard to find, or range not broad enough

“Use the library to explore back catalogue CDs of artists I stumble across from music press (Pitchfork etc) or on‐line radio (NPR tiny desk etc)”“Good range & price! Have stopped using iTunes in favour of library selections!”“I love how you guys collect latest CDs with great choices! I'm originally from Japan but never expected that NZ can keep up with this "maniac" collections!”“Great range of artists and genres, also the recommend to purchase service is awesome.”

Generally a great selection of CD's. Sometimes hard to find in the library e.g. Epsom.”

them to play.”  

“Generally a great selection of CD's. Sometimes hard to find in the library e.g. Epsom.”Can their classification include the different genre of middle eastern music, such as is used in belly dance?“I used the service quite a bit when I lived in an apartment in town, it was great. The only issue I had was inevitably the CDs would be scratched as they got older. In a lot of cases I couldn't get them to play.”  

Key findings

• No pressing demand for Auckland Libraries to extend its digital music offering at moment

• For a service to be popular it would need to be free, as good as other streaming services, allow downloads and have something extra e.g. NZ content, high quality audio

• CD collection still highly valued

What worked?

• Keeping the survey short • Opportunity to comment in own words• Offering it in different forms (email, web link,

paper)• Visiting key libraries to get staff buy-in

• Survey outside library membership/users• Clearer definitions or descriptions. Streaming

interpreted in various ways

What could be improved?

How were the results used?

• The survey results were one of a number of factors taken into account in the evaluation of a streaming/online music service offered to Auckland Libraries

• While in future it is probable that Auckland Libraries will offer more music in digital formats, in the short term the decision was made not to subscribe to this service

The future?

• Maintaining the depth and breadth of the Auckland Libraries CD collection, especially NZ music, might provide Auckland Libraries with a resource to develop an innovative digital music service in the future.

The most important service the Library can offer, I reckon, is archiving and making available music that isn't otherwise widely available. Especially NZ music and older albums etc which may not be on streaming services. Whatever new services the Library introduces, I hope you also keep the CD collection (some of that stuff is hard to find) and try to offer access to rare, obscure music which commercial services can't be bothered with (or which tangled IP rights arrangements have locked out from online platforms).

Thank you!

For more information or to get a copy of the full report contact me:Liz MacFarlanCollections Insights Regional CollectionsAuckland Libraries liz.macfarlan@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz