M+E Daily

New insights from DTS revealed its full year 2023 and Q1 2024 data highlighting the top songs users listened to in-vehicle, in addition to sharing insights from DTS AutoStage’s Song Impact Report which highlights how Luke Combs’ rendition of Tracy Chapman’s 1988 folk-rock hit “Fast Car” became one of the top five most listened-to songs in vehicles in the U.S. in 2023, tracing its trajectory of active listening.

The data represents real-world radio listening, enabled by the DTS AutoStage platform globally and is extracted from a trove of insights available from the DTS AutoStage Broadcaster Portal.

While the radio and music industries have previously been able to analyze airplay and spins, both industries are now able to see the impact of those spins with actual broadcast listening metrics.

The way consumers view their vehicles has changed considerably in recent years. The vehicle is now viewed as a destination unto itself for work, socializing and even relaxing.

As such, consumers are more interested in engaging with various forms of content in the car. DTS AutoStage is the only independent media platform creating a unique in-car infotainment experience that seamlessly integrates audio, radio with streaming video and soon even games, offering personalized content to everyone in the car.

The DTS AutoStage Broadcaster Portal, which provides radio broadcasters worldwide with insights into where their audiences are listening, when they are listening, how long they are listening and the content they enjoy the most, represents data from the millions of vehicles globally equipped with the DTS AutoStage platform. Insights from the portal furthers Xperi’s mission to support the broadcast community by empowering broadcasters to forge deeper connections with their audiences.

Top Most Listened-To Songs In-Vehicle (U.S. and Global) Q1 2024

Rapper Jack Harlow’s “Lovin on Me” which appeared first on TikTok, was the number one most listened-to song in-vehicle in the U.S. in Q1 2024, displacing Taylor Swift, whose “Cruel Summer” dominated both the U.S. and global in-vehicle charts in 2023.

Q1 saw Swift drop to number three globally, as perennial hitmaker Dua Lipa’s “Houdini” became the most listened-to song in-vehicle globally. Canadian Tate McRae’s “Greedy” rose to the number two spot on both the U.S. and global Q1 2024 in-vehicle charts.

Miley Cyrus’ Grammy-winning “Flowers,” which had been number three in the U.S. and number one globally with in-vehicle listeners in 2023, dropped out of the top five as Doja Cat’s “Agora Hills” rose to number three in the U.S., and Tyla’s “Water” held the number five spot both globally and in the U.S. Luke Combs’ “Fast Car,” the only male artist in the U.S. top five most listened-to songs in-vehicle for 2023, dropped out of the top five but remained in the top 10, showing the staying power of the song.

“These lists chart actual sessions by in-vehicle radio listeners and are just the opening salvo of our data insights for broadcasters, which go deep into where, when and what in-vehicle listeners are enjoying, including listener heat maps and the songs, ads and program segments listeners enjoy the most,” said Joe D’Angelo, senior vice president, broadcast at Xperi. “And, because we can track radio plays for songs across all our global radio station partners, we’re able to analyze specific scenarios and trends. For example, how a song might be breaking and how the audience is responding.”

DTS AutoStage Song Impact Report: 80s Folk/Rock Classic Goes Country, Then Back to Its Roots

DTS AutoStage’s Song Impact Report spotlights the in-vehicle, active listening trajectory of Luke Combs’ country music cover of Tracy Chapman’s 1988 folk-rock hit “Fast Car” to becoming one of the top five most listened-to songs in-vehicle in the U.S. in 2023 – followed by the breakout of Chapman’s original version, 36 years after its original airing. While the phenomenon of “Fast Car” has been much reported on, this is the first time its path for active in-vehicle listeners has been tracked.

Combs’ cover received some early spins on radio in March 2023 and officially dropped in April 2023. Debuting as the 10,000th most played song on radio for in-vehicle listeners, in a mere five weeks it had broken through the top 100 and was well on its way to the number one spot, which it achieved the week of July 24, 2023. During that climb, it experienced the kind of ups and downs expected as the audience connected with the new cut.

By the time it reached number one on the DTS AutoStage Song Impact Report, it had been heard more than 650,000 times in DTS AutoStage-enabled cars and played on more than 1,100 stations in the U.S. alone. The connection with audiences and support of program directors in the U.S. and around the world only continued to grow as the Grammy nominations were announced and awarded.

The cover spent 23 weeks in the top 10 in 2023 and was heard over four million times, finishing as the fifth most-played song in the U.S. for 2023. The success of the track continued into 2024 with “Fast Car” staying in the top 20 most-played songs in the U.S. and heard over 1.6 million times in Q1 2024.

At the time Combs’ “Fast Car” became the number one most listened-to song in-vehicle, Tracy Chapman’s original version ranked at only 1,544 in in-vehicle listening, but by the week of Feb. 5, 2024, in the wake of Chapman’s stunning live performance with Combs at the 2024 Grammys, in-vehicle listeners went back to Chapman’s original, driving it up the charts to number 292.

View the full list of 2023’s Top 100 Most Listened-to Songs In-Vehicle in the U.S. and Globally here.

“The radio industry has long reported spins, which provided some measure of a song’s performance, but in today’s digital age, it’s really all about the listener and how they are responding to new music,” continued D’Angelo. “For the first time, broadcast radio program directors and record promoters can access near real-time information about how a song is actually landing with the audience and if engagement is building, waning or flattening. This information is critical as both industries make decisions regarding programming, rotations and artist promotions.”

The “Fast Car” snapshot is one example of the impact on listener insights and the implications it can have on the broadcast community.

Radio remains a pivotal entertainment source for the vehicle and the DTS AutoStage platform, the only global entertainment platform for the connected car, is delivering next-generation, AI-powered connected radio, audio and video content for more than 100 connected car models worldwide, seamlessly combining linear broadcast with IP-delivered content that enables a powerfully personalized, unified, user-centric experience.

As an extension, HD Radio continues to grow and is in more than 100 million vehicles, transmitting 4,700 digital channels, and tracking more than 300 million hours of weekly listening.

Radio stations can access the DTS AutoStage Broadcaster Portal at no cost, whether they are broadcasting digitally or via analog by registering through the Xperi DTS AutoStage Broadcaster portal.