iTunes Users Drive VWs, Read Wired

By Ed Oswald | Published January 19, 2006, 3:30 PM

According to a recent study by Nielsen/NetRatings, the average iTunes consumer is a Volkswagen driving, hard cider drinking, Wired reading, Cartoon Network viewer. The findings were released as part of the organization's monthly report on the most heavily trafficked Web sites for the month of December.

The survey also found that teens 12 to 17 are more than twice as likely as the average Internet user to visit the iTunes Web site, and are more likely to be male by a 54 to 46 percent margin.

Neilsen/NetRatings says that the brand preferences of iTunes consumers should play into the decisions of networks as to what programming is added to the service, as well as any advertising that would be included therein.

iTunes users are 2.1 times more likely to own a Volkswagen, followed by Audi at two times the average rate and Subaru at 1.8 times. In terms of alcoholic beverages, hard cider is preferred 2.3 more than average, with imported beer twice as likely to be consumed, and 1.8 times for domestic beer.

Tech magazine Wired sees the greatest penetration of any brand in the survey, with a user 3.3 times more likely to read the publication. Rolling Stone and FHM are also favorites, with readership rates of 2.6 and 2.5 times the average, respectively.

However, perhaps what is of most use to iTunes, and a figure that programmers may be interested in for the video portion of the store is network viewership. The Cartoon Network takes the lead here, with users 1.4 times as likely to watch the channel, followed by 1.3 times for BBC America and 1.2 times the average for premium network HBO.

"The rapid growth of iTunes is an important phenomenon in the online media marketplace," said Jon Gibs, director of media analytics, Nielsen//NetRatings. "Consumers have clearly indicated that they are eager to control their own music libraries, one song at a time."

Beyond iTunes, December's survey found that the top Web property remained Yahoo, with 103.8 million unique visitors during the month. Microsoft came in second with 97.2 million, and MSN in third with 90.9 million. Rounding out the top five were Google with 86.6 million, and AOL with 76.7 million visitors.

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I:
¤hardly ever watch tv
¤dont pay for media
¤smoke marlboro medium
¤blaze weed
¤drink jagermeister
¤read dilbert and computer sweden
¤use a customized version of xp pro that has most of the components replaced for 3rd party software.

the only thing that matches me here is that i like vw and audi, and that im most probably getting a vw type 2 buss.

but then again i just uninstalled itunes and switched to musikCube for good. after finding itunes not being able to handel my large ammount of mp3s as well. iTunes is also BLOATED.

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Nielsen/NetRatings obviously never spoke to anyone I know.

And I'd never buy anything from the iTunes music store. Apart from the obvious lack in quality, I still enjoy trotting around the local record store and buying something random.

And that's CDs, not "universal media discs".

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They also get beat by up their significant other on average about once every two months. In surveys taken at major plane, train, & bus hubs they are the largest donators to Hare Krishna and Scientology. To a person they eat only the meat of free-range animals believing it's purer and cleaner-- not realizing of course, that such beasts eat any rotting garbage they find, have shat on the grass they later ate, etc.
They drink rum and diet coke to watch their figure.
The majority are also card-carrying members of Peta and are 12.188845632 times more likely than the average bloke to have visited a zoo in the past year.

And finally, 99.99999999999999999999999999 percent are planning on voting for Hillary Clinton for president.

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BFD. These "statistics" just prove that iTunes "consumers" are trend-following dum dums with terrible taste. Anyone who would pay for software crippled, inferior quality music is perfect fodder for advertisers. Have at 'em!

Outside of their penchant for imported beer and the Cartoon Network (Adult Swim does indeed rock, Paradise-FH), they sound like an insufferable bunch of pseudo hipsters to me. ;)

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Yeah, I could agree. I certainly do see a lot of VW Golfs and Bugs with Apple stickers on them. Seems like they like to advertise they are different. They also like to rev their engine and then get burnt by my Benz at lights. Just imagine how much faster I might be able to go with a Microsoft sticker.

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This article goes back and forth between iTunes "customers" and iTunes "users," which are not at all the same thing. I use iTunes every day, but I've never bought music from it.

There's also a big difference between a "visit" to the iTunes site and a "purchase" from the iTunes site.

All I get from this article is that 12-17 year olds are more likely to drink hard cider while driving VW's and blasting music from iPods. Good thing VW's are so safe ,'-(

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hmm..

I have 2 newer ford explorers, drink rum and coke, and read digg.

guess I'm not hardcore...

BTW all you VW owning hippies - the VW was originally designed by Hitler himself on a napkin.

damn!

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ouch!

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VW owning hippies? I own a 2005 VW Jetta GLI with Recaro racing seats, 18" rims on low profile tires, with a turbo charged 6 speed manual transmission, and the best paint job I've ever seen. All of this comes standard on GLI's. I don't think I've ever been called a hippie, I'm pretty far from that. Does VW even make vans anymore?

This article is pretty dead on though, although I've never actually purchased anything through iTunes. I don't drink hard cider though, but I do drink pretty much anything else...Guiness baby yeah!! (oh and rum and coke is my favorite liquor drink too - make it a double, no, wait, a triple ;-) And Adult Swim is awesome.

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HIPPY!

Just kidding man :)

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I know, I just wanted everyone to know what kind of car I drove ;-)

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iTunes users also drink water and breathe oxygen. So what?

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I am dismayed to see that I am an exception to the average iTunes user. Older at 48 and I drive a 1991 Chevy S10 and I drink Dr. Pepper.I hardly ever watch T.V. anymore. but I do use iTunes a lot, love the iPod shuffle and love internet usage in general.

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How can you think this information is useless? Are you guys not understanding the whole purpose of gathering information like this? Because Cartoon Network, HBO and BBC America are popular with iTunes users, those businesses now know putting their shows in the iTMS would be a good money making decision. Car manufacturers know the type of car the average iTunes user goes after and could market similar, competing models to that audience. Magazines similar to Wired know this is a good audience to go after. Etc etc...

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hmmm ... well i'm a prius driving, hard cider drinking, wired reading, adult swim watching guy.

apparently people with itunes drive VWs and people without itunes drive prii

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no. i drive a vw, and don't use itunes. women drive hybrid cars.

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BULLs***

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Uh, ok then. I'd like to thank the department of useless made up statistics for this earth shattering news, I guess.

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Maybe useless, but holy crap, it fits me perfectly. Weird. I use iTunes, drive a VW Jetta, enjoy imported beer, and watch Cartoon Network and HBO. I dont't read any of those magazines, though, I read Road & Track.

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The only thing that matches me here is the VW (a 96 Jetta) and I do like BBC America. As for alcohol, Miller Lite is just fine with me :P

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