Teen-centric virtual community and social game Habbo Hotel is looking to gain a better understanding of its users by introducing the Habbometer, a new series of polls that allows the platform’s some 15 million monthly visitors to weigh in on current trends.

The first Habbometer poll, which was conducted in September and included responses from 47,000 teens from 33 countries, examined Habbo users’ relationship to music. The findings reveal how influential the internet is when it comes to teen listening habits, the continued challenge for media owners to monetize content and the rise in importance of social recommendations to teen listeners.

According to the results, 33% of teens prefer to download music without paying for it, a fifth of teens still buy CDS – with teens in Sweden (40%), Germany (37%) and Denmark (35%) being the most likely to buy a CD) – radio and TV are still the dominant tastemakers, and 78% of teens use social networks to share recommendations.

Habbometer results will post regularly on the website of Sulake, Habbo’s Finland-based parent company, and will also be available upon request.