• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, June 25, 2007

Computers are taking over.

Nearly three-quarters of adults who use the Internet also use their home computers to listen to audio content, according to a study by the Consumer Electronics Association.

With 72% of online adults using computers as audio consoles, and 82% of households now owning a PC, a new CEA study says there's a good chance computers will displace other consumer electronics--like CD players and stereo systems--as the primary means of consuming audio content.

However, audio listening with home PCs doesn't spell good news for online radio stations.

The vast majority of listening still depends on personal media, such as CDs and MP3 libraries, accumulated through paid services like iTunes. Online listening for AM/FM stations remains low, according to Arbitron's fall 2006 radio data. Such listening represents less than 1% of total quarter hours in the 30 markets where it was analyzed.

The CEA survey, however, found that 86% of the three-quarters figure were generally satisfied with the audio experience delivered by a home PC. Fully one-third, however, said the sound quality delivered by computers needs to improve--an understandable complaint, given that only 9% have linked their computers to home stereos or entertainment systems. Music is still the No. 1 audio content that consumers listen to on computers.