Survey: Napster Brand More Recognizable than iTunes

Glob al marketing research firm Ipsos-Insight has recently announced the results of a name-recognition study called TEMPO. The company found that Appleis iTunes and Napster 2.0 both command top-of-mind awareness in 20% of American downloaders aged 12 and older. However, when prompted with brand names, more than four out of five (79%) downloaders recognize the Napster 2.0 brand, while nearly half (46%) are aware of iTunes.

The firm also reported that "no other online services or download stores boast substantial top-of-mind awareness." The brands of the other stores, however, are strong, with RealPlayer Music Store in the lead with 41% recognition, followed by MusicMatch (36%), RealOne RadioPass (31%), MTV.com (31%) and Walmart.com (30%).

Matt Kleinschmit, Vice President for Ipsos-Insight, said in a statement, "Over the course of the past year, weive witnessed the high profile introductions of numerous legitimate online music services. These data indicate that while consumers may be cognizant of many of these services, iTunes and Napster 2.0 have emerged as top-of-mind brand leaders. Itis particularly interesting to note that Appleis iTunes MusicStore, although introduced only 18 months ago, demonstrates consumer top-of-mind awareness equal to that of the Napster brand, which was established in the late i90s."

The TEMPO study also found that downloaders place importance on good sound quality, low prices, a broad music selection, and perceptions of a good value as specific traits of a digital music service. Perceptions of a hip or cool site, or the ability to exchange ideas or recommendations with other service users is less important to downloaders.

The full report requires a paid subscription, but Yahoo is carrying a summary press release.