U.S. lags on cell-phone music listeners

Around 19 percent of worldwide cell-phone users listen to music over their phones, although the United States is well behind that pace.

TNS Research said in a new report Thursday that 4 percent of U.S. subscribers regularly listen to music files on their phones, a level that analysts concluded could increase once more phones capable of downloading music become available.

"However," TNS said in a news release, "a recent separate TNS study in the United States among 1,976 wireless users indicated that only 10 percent were either extremely or highly likely to purchase a wireless phone with an integrated iPod or MP3 player."

TNS said that consumer reluctance could soften as Americans become more familiar with the ins and outs of music downloads on telephone devices.

The survey found that phone music is most common in South Korea (26 percent) and Hong Kong (24 percent), and a significant number of users listen to their tunes at home as well as on public transit and while waiting for appointments.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International