Teens say YouTube is tops when it’s time for tunes

Video killed the radio star.

YouTube is now the leading way for young people to hear -- er, watch -- music, surpassing both radio and CDs.

Nearly two thirds of 3,000 teens polled by Nielsen say they prefer YouTube when they want to take in some tunes.

But apparently this doesn’t mean music sales are dead. Nearly three-quarters of poll respondents say they purchased music in the last 12 months, which is more than the average across all age groups.

“The accessibility of music has seen tremendous expansion and diversification,” says David Bakula, Nielsen’s senior vice president of client development. “With so many ways to purchase, consume and discover great new music, it’s no wonder that the consumer continues to access and enjoy music in greater numbers.”

Digital music is seen as a “slightly better value” than an old-fashioned CD. Only about a third of survey respondents say they bought a CD in the last year. About half downloaded a song online.

I can’t speak to consumption of contemporary music, but I know that YouTube is unrivaled as a free online jukebox for the classics.

You know those times when you get a tune in your head that you just can’t get rid of? For me, YouTube is the answer.

Such as this one from the Beatles.

And this one from Trio.

Excellent.