SINGAPORE — Two in three Singapore residents say they are proud of homegrown musicians and their works, but when it comes to showing support, few do so regularly, a first-ever nationwide survey on music consumption habits here has found.

Just one in three say they actively seek out musical works composed or performed by Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents, or know of any new local talent or song that has emerged the past two years, the survey commissioned by the National Arts Council (NAC) showed.

And while 31 per cent have attended music events in the past year, just over half of them (18 per cent) went to one for local music. The percentage drops to 8 per cent for events featuring Singaporean music that charged an entry fee.

For the 29 per cent of 1,000 respondents polled between May and June this year who do not listen to homegrown music and singers, a lack of exposure or awareness was the most common reason (43 per cent), followed closely by a lack of interest (42 per cent). They also said homegrown music was not readily available (20 per cent), is of low quality (17 per cent), and lack variety (16 per cent).

In response, the NAC will launch a “national movement” to trumpet homegrown music and talents soon. By March next year, an online platform called Hear65 – the number refers to Singapore’s country code – will be launched to raise awareness and interest in homegrown music, said NAC’s deputy director of sector development (music) Kok Tse Wei, at a media briefing on Tuesday (Nov 28).

Mr Kok declined to give more details of the initiative, but when asked if Singaporean music will be made available free on the platform, Mr Kok said: “We definitely think about sustainability for our music artistes … so in terms of pricing these musical products, price point indicates the value of the art form to our consumers. So that’s definitely a consideration for us.”

Music media company Bandwagon has been roped in by the NAC to roll out Hear65.

The survey found that three in five Singaporeans listen to music every day. But only one in five have paid for music in the past three months – surprisingly, buying a physical music disc (10 per cent) topped the type of music-purchasing activities.

Offline music library (26 per cent) was the top source, followed by offline radio (22 per cent), then online platforms (18 per cent) and paid streaming services (10 per cent), such as YouTube, Spotify, and other radio apps.

Almost all discover new music through offline channels, most commonly, radio (65 per cent). TV shows, movies and musicals (43 per cent), as well as recommendations from friends (35 per cent) were also common sources.