Radio still rules the roost for a plurality of music listeners, with CD players and MP3 players trailing and the good old record player a thing of the past.

A new Rasmussen Reports survey finds that a plurality (42%) of Americans still prefer to listen to their music from a radio. Lagging far behind is the CD player at 25% and MP3 player at 14%. Young adults (45%) tend to use MP3 players more than their elders (22%).

Only a statistically insignificant one percent (1%) listen to music on a tape deck, and record turntables didn't even rate that high.

When it comes to downloading music, 30% say they at least occasionally download music to their computer. Most (69%), however, claim they rarely or never download anything. Of those surveyed, seven percent (7%) say they subscribe to a monthly music service, while 90% do not. Again not surprisingly, younger adults download music more than their elders (see crosstabs).

Among those who download music, most (71%) say they abide by the rules by downloading their music legally. Only three percent (3%) admit they download music illegally. Twenty-six percent (26%) aren’t sure if they’re downloading legally or illegally. Music lovers who download music about once a week or nearly every day download their music illegally more than those who download files less than once a week.

Finally, artists often voice their political views during shows or concerts. Most recently, Madonna bashed John McCain by comparing the Republican presidential nominee to Adolf Hitler. Only a third (33%) of respondents say musicians and actors should have the freedom of voicing their opinions, but over half (54%) disagree. More Democrats (46%) favor an artist’s ability to voice their opinions than Republicans (18%).

A separate survey showed that attending concerts was one of the least popular summer activities.

See survey questions and toplines. Crosstabs available for Premium Members only.