By CMA Staff
Understanding who is listening — and why — is one of the most powerful tools a music industry professional can have. CMA’s 2025 Country Music Sizing and Segmentation Study was designed to put exactly that kind of insight in members’ hands. “By identifying distinct, actionable audience segments based on shared behaviors and attitudes, the study offers a nuanced picture of today’s Country Music listener, and a clearer roadmap for how artists, labels, promoters and industry professionals can build more meaningful connections with them,” says LeighAnn Rodd, CMA Director, Insights.
The scale of the opportunity is significant. The study found that 83% of the U.S. population ages 13–70 either enjoys a subgenre of Country Music or feels neutral to positive toward the genre overall. CMA’s new listener segments are defined using measurable behaviors: attitudes toward Country Music, how listeners discover the music they love, and likelihood to spend across the genre. “Each group represents a different entry point into the genre and, for industry professionals, a different strategic opportunity,” says Rodd.
“For those focused on discovery and artist development, understanding how new listeners find Country Music is essential to shaping everything from release strategy to playlist pitching,” Rodd continues. The study found that 56% of listeners now fall into a digital-first audience segment, where discovery is driven by streaming, collaborations and pop culture moments. The “Next-Gen Curious,” one segment within this group, often encounter Country Music alongside the content they already consume, making cross-genre collaborations and algorithmic placement especially powerful tools for reaching them. Others connect through emotion first: the 19 million “Emotional Explorers,” drawn to storytelling and Americana-influenced sounds, represent a strong opportunity for sync licensing, editorial playlist placement and artists operating at the intersection of Country and roots music. Meanwhile, the 30 million “Radio Casuals” reflect the continued importance of familiar artists and traditional radio habits, a signal to programmers and label teams that radio remains a critical on ramp, even as streaming reshapes the landscape.
As listeners move from discovery into deeper engagement, the picture shifts again. The 55 million “Experience Maximizers,” a digital-first segment that builds their lives around concerts, festivals and shared live experiences, represent a prime audience for touring professionals, venue partners and festival organizers looking to deepen fan investment beyond the stream. For this group, the live experience isn’t supplemental; it’s central to how they relate to the genre. At the same time, the 53 million “Country Faithfuls,” a radio-first segment, represent a more rooted connection grounded in shared values, loyalty and a strong sense of belonging within the Country Music community. For artists and labels cultivating long-term fan relationships, this is an audience that rewards consistency, authenticity and community, not just content volume.
To help industry professionals put these findings to work, CMA will roll out segment-specific communication playbooks designed to guide more thoughtful, targeted outreach to each audience group. These resources will give members a practical framework for applying the segmentation model to their own work, whether that’s refining a marketing approach, informing a touring strategy or identifying untapped pockets of potential fans.
“This research is built to help members move from data to decision, and from insight to impact,” says Rodd. “Understanding an audience is only the beginning. The real opportunity lies in knowing how to respond, with programming, messaging and experiences that resonate across every corner of Country Music’s fanbase.”
If you have questions or are interested in learning more about how to use this data in your work, please reach out to [email protected]. To learn more about Insights at CMA, visit CMAworld.com/research-insights.
