What do consumers prefer for music streaming services?: A comparative study between Korea and US

Abstract

With the widespread use of mobile devices and increased availability of wireless networks, music streaming is replacing music downloads in the digital music industry. In the United States, streaming is still at an early stage with many different competing business models, while streaming services in Korea have converged towards a subscription-based on-demand model. This paper attempts to estimate and compare US and Korean consumers' marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) for streaming services using conjoint analysis. The attributes of advertisements, streaming mode, exclusive content, and offline usage were chosen. The results indicated that US and Korean consumers have different preferences and MWTP for product attributes. Implications for streaming services as well as the streaming industry are suggested based on the results.