Brief:

• Smart speaker devices like the Amazon Echo, Google Home and Apple HomePod urge their owners to listen to more music and web radio, according to Business Insider, citing a survey by researcher MusicWatch. But about half of survey respondents (48%) said they were concerned about privacy issues associated with the on-demand devices.
• More than half (55%) of smart speakers are listening to their streaming music services more often, while two-thirds of survey respondents are listening to more online radio, such as NPR and iHeartRadio.
• Music listening is also a popular social activity at home, with 64% of smart speaker owners saying they listen to more music at home. Russ Crupnick, managing partner at MusicWatch, said focus groups indicated that their families are gathering to listen to music at home, an activity he hadn't seen in years.

Insight:

Even as consumers worry about privacy invasions after highly publicized breaches, MusicWatch's research indicates a draw of smart speakers is its potential to create experiences like listening to music with family.

Marketers are taking advantage of these capabilities by leveraging the technology to provide voice-driven opportunities. Companies such as HBO to Marriott have rolled out applications for Amazon Alexa, with Patrón recently reporting a major win with the cocktail-focused Alexa skill it rolled out in 2016. Last month, Accenture Interactive expanded its collaboration with Amazon by starting a program to help brands create software that works with Alexa.

Music listening is a popular activity for smart speakers, which is why Samsung partnered with music streaming giant Spotify as part of its rollout of its new Galaxy Home smart speaker this month. Apple, another late entrant to the smart speaker market with this year's delayed introduction of the HomePod, also emphasizes the device's ability to provide a superior experience for music listeners.

According to the International Data Corporation,the worldwide smart home devices market is forecast to grow 26.8% this year to 549.5 million shipments. Smart speakers and video entertainment products like smart TVs and digital media adapters are expected to represent 71% of the market in 2018 and will see a compound annual growth rate of 12% from 2018 to 2022, the researcher forecast.