The effectiveness of subliminal audio has remained hidden so far more due to lack of evidence substantiating the effects on people. Most of the evidence has been given by users of subliminal message audio, however it cannot be confirmed how true their experiences are. Unfortunately, the information regarding use and effectiveness has not been sufficiently collated, thus making it difficult to asses the success of subliminal message audio.

Subliminal message audio has been largely made popular by users, where there is no study or research establishing its usefulness in treating disorders or personality development. In most cases the masking methods used by commercial producers of subliminal message are also not known. However, a large amount of data is available on tachistoscopic subliminal technique and dichotic listening, which may throw some light on effectiveness of subliminal message audio.

There have been several researches on the effects of subliminal message audio on the human mind, however, no concrete results have yet been established. Moreover, lack of sufficient data too has led to the field being of little or no interest to academicians. People who have experienced positive results from listening to subliminal message audio and music using backmasking techniques, claim that the technique used is confidential and very few have the technical knowhow to make such an audio. However, the method is yet to be tested for effectiveness on larger population to establish the claims made by producers and suppliers of subliminal message audio.

Research conducted by Dixon and Henley, among the few researchers interested in the field, showed some interesting results. The experiment aimed at noting the auditory perception of the audience and their inclination towards particular techniques of subliminal message audio. The experiment was conducted by masking subliminal message with music and noting its effects on the group.

A similar experiment was conducted by Dayes and Mykel, where two groups of people were used for the study. One group was exposed to subliminal message masked using music and the other group was exposed to subliminal message only. However, the results did not give any substantial results on effects of subliminal message on the targeted groups.

This type of experiment made the researchers question the type of music used to mask subliminal messages. It was found by Benes team that though softer music evoked relevant imagery compared to rock music, however, the images had no connection to the subliminal words used in the audio. On the other hand, the control group exposed to masked subliminal message audio showed more imagery compared to the subliminal group.

Even if these experiments have been conducted by interested researchers, the results have been less than satisfactory, raising doubts about the effects of subliminal message audio on a wider population. These type of results, even though handful, have made researchers consider the field of subliminal message as impractical. However, producers and supporters of subliminal message audio claim that since no negative results have been seen during the experiments, it does not qualify this method as being ineffective. In any case, there is no scientific or medical proof establishing the effectiveness of subliminal message, however, interested researchers may find some evidence in future.