Do Cultural Quotas Shape Listening Preferences? Evidence from Radio Regulation and Music Streaming

Radio music quotas aim to boost exposure to domestic repertoire, but do they shape listening preferences beyond the broadcast context? We investigate whether quota-induced exposure translates into persistent preferences observable on streaming platforms. To do so, we combine an original cross-country database of quota policies with weekly Spotify Top 200 charts spanning 71 countries and individual-level listening histories from Deezer (one of France’s leading streaming platforms) matched to survey data on radio exposure. At the aggregate level, quota countries exhibit lower domestic consumption shares on Spotify; however, this pattern likely reflects the endogenous adoption of such policies in markets where domestic content was initially underrepresented. Exploiting the 2024 Greek quota reform as a quasi-experiment, we find no evidence of an increase in national-language streaming consumption, using a synthetic difference-in-differences design. At the individual level, radio listening in France, where a radio quota applies, shows no association with stronger preferences for domestic music once demographic characteristics are accounted for. Overall, our findings provide no evidence that radio music quotas generate meaningful spillover effects on domestic music consumption in the streaming era.