23.8 percent of mobile users across five leading European mobile markets (UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain) listened to music on their mobile handsets during the three month period ending March 2010. The 54m total mobile music users in the EU5 countries represent a 10 per cent increase in the past year. The figures come from the comScore MobiLens tracking service.
Spain leads the way, with 30 per cent of mobile users listening to music from their primary handset, followed by Germany with 25.8 per cent. The UK falls slightly behind the EU5 average, with 22.6 per cent penetration of mobile users. Listening to music on mobile phones was least popular in France and Italy, with 21 per cent of mobile users in both markets choosing to do so. The US lags far behind all EU5 countries, with only 13.2 per cent of the mobile population using mobile handsets to listen to music.
Germany led the EU5 countries in downloading music directly to mobile handsets, with more than 1m mobile music downloaders in March 2010. Germany also demonstrated the fastest growth rate at 102 per cent. Italy ranked as the second fastest growing market (up 92 per cent) followed by France (up 50 per cent). Once again, growth in the EU5 countries significantly outpaced the US, which grew just 10 per cent to 4m users. 
The comScore research also reveals that of the 54m users listening to music on a mobile device in the EU5, 42 per cent have a smartphone, compared to 25 per cent of total mobile subscribers; 47 per cent browse the mobile internet, compared to 25 per cent of total mobile subscribers; and 85 per cent of those who listened to music on their phone listen to ‘sideloaded’ music (transferred from a PC), compared to 8 per cent who downloaded it direct to their device.
Given these figures, comScore senior analyst Alistair Hill believes that the music industry may be missing a trick in not using mobile as a marketing channel. He says: “People who listen to music on their phones are more likely to browse the internet, and almost half own smartphones. The high penetration of smartphones and likelihood to browse shows how ideal this audience is for targeted mobile advertising. The mobile channel offers an opportunity to get in front of consumers at one of their primary access points for music consumption. The music needs to wake up to it; there’s a huge opportunity here for them to gain substantial sales, but we are not seeing investment in it.”
