By Stuart Tickle, Managing Director at AWE Europe
As both a distributor and music lover, I’ve seen first-hand how evolving listening trends and new music formats are always reshaping the industry.
We are all listening to more music than ever before. In 2023, people spent an average of 20.7 hours listening to music each week. That’s up from 17.8 hours in 2018, according to figures from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and continues a steady upward trend.
Much of this growth is thanks to the explosion of streaming audio platforms and devices. With an unlimited music library available instantly, anywhere, it’s no wonder that we’re consuming more of it. As a result, a much wider audience are looking for great quality audio that plays whenever and wherever they want, from headphones to home audio.
And the good news? Online sales and consumer demand for the mass-market solutions are an open gateway to showing end-users a more premium and better-quality solution. And for multi-room, DIY doesn’t come close to providing the same experience as a professionally installed multi-room audio solution. 
So, how can you maximise the opportunity and ensure people come to you for audio solutions? Offering solutions that you are confident in the up-sell in – as most retailers do with TV’s or white goods, while providing the expertise and services to install them, will position your electrical retail business as the go-to destination for customers who appreciate a better experience.
The Growth of Multi-room Audio
Today’s ‘just press play’ culture has led to a boom in multi-room audio. Professional solutions deliver high-resolution audio throughout the home, allowing the home occupiers to play different music in different rooms simultaneously. They can even define specific listening areas such as the ‘downstairs entertainment area’.
You can also tailor the quality and experience to different rooms, with basic ceiling or wireless devices in some areas, with a higher quality system in a more focused listening area, and, perhaps, home cinema in a media room. You can match the audio experience in rooms to the space and the budget.
Multi-room audio provides a personalised, user-specific experience with multi-user profiles that cater for individual preferences, from playlists to settings.
For example, with HEOS® technology, which is built into devices from Denon, Marantz and Classé, customers can stream their favourite music, podcasts or sports to multiple devices, in other rooms of the home. You can also just Bluetooth or airplay into a single device or integrate into a wider control solution. It is also scalable to provide an opportunity to easily grow a home audio ecosystem at any point.
Audiophile Demand for Nostalgia
Despite the dominance of streaming, there’s a resurgence and strong market from music-lovers who not only want lossless high-definition audio, but they also crave the tactile experience of physical formats. According to BPI analysis based on Official Charts data, vinyl LP sales in the UK increased by 11.7 per cent in the first 51 weeks of 2023 to 5.9 million units, the highest annual level since 1990! This compares to the 2.9 per cent rise in vinyl sales in 2022.
You can take advantage of this trend, with the right offering. High-end turntables and CD players can be integrated as part of an installed audio solution. Let your customers know that they can rely on you to blend streaming and physical sources seamlessly, ensuring they can enjoy the best of both worlds and get their previously much treasured and now neglected albums out of the storage boxes!
Smart Home and IoT Integration
Audio systems no longer only exist in isolation; premium customers expect them to be fully integrated into the broader smart home ecosystem, for example including lighting and window shading to create better listening environment in focused rooms.
At AWE, we have numerous solutions that make integration simple. From single room solutions to whole-home control, the entry point is simpler than you may think and starts at under £1k SRP. Key staff can receive initial training remotely over just a few hours – it really can be that simple!
Where to Start?
From integrating control, enabling high-res streaming, or designing immersive home cinemas, there is a wide range of industry training and support available to upskill your teams and exceed customer expectations. Get in touch to find out more.
