Almost one in five music fans 'would give anything' to meet their idols, and many are happy to view ads and even share their personal information for access to free music, according to a new study from global market research firm Synovate.

Steve Garton, global head of media research for Synovate, said: "Since the beginning of humankind, there has been a passion for music. From the primitive beating of drums, to even before we are born when we're already used to the steady beat of our mother's heart, we are programmed to have a passion for music."

Synovate surveyed 8,000 adults ages 18+ across 13 countries - Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Korea, Philippines, Spain, UK and US - to understand the buying habits and preferences of music consumers. The results were presented by Music Matters during MIDEM 2010, the world's biggest music industry conference.

Dominique Leguern, Director of MIDEM, said: "Seeing that the music industry is more diverse and fragmented, monetising the new music experience has become increasingly complex. It is more essential than ever to understand today's music consumption patterns and what is most valuable for music fans."

Jasper Donat, president of Music Matters, said: "This study is a great tool for anyone working in today's music industry or with music brands. The results clearly prove that music is the undisputed world's number 1 passion; however, it's also very interesting to see swings, shifts and cultural diversity in music consumption patterns around the world. We're delighted we've been able to do this study with MIDEM and Synovate, two global powerhouses."

Music makes the world go round
It's probably no surprise that music is the world's favourite pastime. Respondents were asked to rank their passion for music on a ten point scale, ranging from 'I couldn't care less' (1) to 'I'd listen every minute of the day if I could' (10). Across all the markets surveyed, the majority of people (63%) consider themselves passionate about music, ranking their passion at level 6 or above. This was highest in Brazil (80%), Spain and the UK (79% each), while Australia ranked lowest on the music passion scale at 27%. >>MORE

Celebrity access
Celebrity culture is alive and well. Nineteen percent of people say that they would 'give anything' to meet their favourite music artists, though exactly what that might be is anyone's guess! Fans in the US (33%), UK (32%) and Spain (30%) are the most obsessed with this idea, while consumers in China, Hong Kong, and Hungary aren't ready to do anything special to meet their favourite music stars. Only 7% each would, the lowest among all markets surveyed. >>MORE

Mobile music rising?
The advent of MTV in 1981 ushered in a whole new way for musical artists to connect with their fan base, and TV still remains a key medium for consumers to watch music videos. But the computer and mobile phone are becoming strong contenders. When asked how they watched music videos over the past month, more than half of those surveyed (57%) say they watched them on TV while 46% watched them on the computer. Another 16% used their mobile phones, which was highest in India (38%), Philippines (23%) and China (20%). >>MORE

The lowdown on downloading and streaming
Despite what some may think, the record store is not dead. Even with the rise in digital music, many still want to own music in its physical form. In the past month, almost one-third of people bought a music CD at a store while 11% purchased one online. While this is good news for music retailers, there is still an underbelly of counterfeit CDs and illegal downloading that physical and online retailers are competing with. The music industry has spent considerable effort to attach stigmas to illegal music downloading, which may be working in some markets. >>MORE

Musical merchandising
Leveraging an artist's current reputation and image, or developing a new one, through merchandising can mean big money for the artist and the companies working with them. An overall 16% of people bought a live music / concert DVD in the past 12 months, topped by the UK at 25%, while 16% bought ring tones / wallpaper via their mobile, topped by Koreans at 66%. >>MORE

Ads are ok
So what about all the advertisements shown on music downloading and streaming websites? They're no problem at all for most consumers, especially if they offer something in return. Forty-four percent of people globally are happy to view or listen to ads if it lets them download free music while 41% are ok with viewing ads if they can get access to free music streaming. >>MORE

Brands, bands and fans
Product endorsements and promotions / competitions that feature musical artists are one of the quickest ways to establish an artist's brand, and the study indicates that consumers support this. >>MORE

About the study
Numbers of surveyed

AU 238

BR 652

CA 644

CN 910

FR 503

HK 848

HU 484

IN 932

KR 852

PH 938

ES 500

UK 500

US 508