Music Industry Analysis
Music Biz curates a feed of music industry news articles, business statistics and trend analysis from a variety of media outlets, filtering out the noise to deliver you the actionable insights you need to succeed. Starting in 2024, these articles will be accessible exclusively from Music Biz’s social media feeds.
July 19, 2021 – Music Biz Member MRC Data Publishes 2021 U.S. Mid-Year Report
Nearly 16 months after the COVID-19 pandemic led to global shutdowns, consumers are finally starting to return to the activities they love, and music remains at the top of that list. Overall consumption grew 13.5% year-over-year (YOY) during the first six months of 2021, thanks to a 15% lift in on-demand audio streaming. These encouraging growth rates come a year after overall consumption experienced an 8.6% decline during the first eight weeks of COVID-19 lockdowns, from mid-March to mid-May 2020,... Read More
July 13, 2021 – Why Apple, Amazon and Spotify Are Embracing Hi-Def Music: A Guide to ‘Lossless’ Streaming
Emily Lazar knows better than most how great music can sound. At her New York mastering studio, the Lodge, the Grammy-winning engineer puts the finishing touches on songs by the likes of the Foo Fighters, Haim and the Rolling Stones. Her job is to ensure that every harmony, cymbal crash and power chord sounds exactly as the artists intended them to when their albums go out into the world. When she plays those same songs off a typical streaming service,... Read More
July 7, 2021 – The Number of Americans Paying for Audio Subscriptions Has Doubled Since 2015
Edison Research recently published a fascinating tidbit from our Share of Ear® series: The portion of the American population that is paying for an audio subscription of some kind has doubled since 2015, and is now almost half of everyone (47%). There is a lot that is contributing to this growth. First, it’s important to emphasize this is not a measure of subscriptions, it is a measure of people. If two people share a log-in or an account,... Read More
June 29, 2021 – Big-Name Retailers Update 2021 Holiday Strategies Amid Evolving Shopping Habits
Walmart, Target, and Best Buy are among a growing list of retailers that have announced Thanksgiving Day store closures this year as consumers increasingly adopt ecommerce. This mirrors decisions from last year, when stores closed in part as a safety precaution to limit in-person shopping during the winter COVID-19 surge. The holiday closures will likely push more consumers online for Thanksgiving and Black Friday, setting the tone for future seasons. With stores being closed, consumers who would’ve normally gone shopping after Thanksgiving Day dinner will likely turn to online shopping to avoid missing out on promotions—making ecommerce a greater focal point than before the pandemic: In 2019,... Read More
June 28, 2021 – Proud and Present: LGBTQ Audiences and Content Take Center Stage
As the LGBTQ community has grown its footprint, there is no doubt that digital connectivity is perhaps the single most influential factor in the advancement of the LGBTQ community. It has reduced isolation, created safe spaces for self-expression, offered opportunities to connect a disparate community and has provided easy access to educational resources and curated content. Technology has also given the community a place to be seen authentically. From television and streaming services to podcasts and music services,... Read More
June 9, 2021 – Clubhouse Users In America — Edison Research Study
According to a new study from Edison Research entitled “Clubhouse Users in America,” 15% of social media users 18+ say they have ever used Clubhouse, the invitation-only audio-based social networking platform that debuted last year. Data for this first look at Clubhouse users is from Edison Research’s weekly social media tracking service, The Social Habit, which provides ongoing behavior and usage data for all major social media platforms. Click here to read the full Edison Research report.... Read More
May 26, 2021 – U.S. B2B Technology Sales See Positive First Quarter Momentum, Up 4%
The U.S. B2B technology channel generated nearly $24.1 billion in the first quarter of 2021, a 4% sales growth compared to the same period a year prior, according to The NPD Group’s B2B Distributor Track and Reseller Tracking services. This is also up 4% compared to Q1 2019. During the quarter, software sales, which make up 27% of industry sales, experienced 3% growth, while hardware dollar sales saw a 4% increase. Sales trends that began during the onset of the pandemic are continuing into the first quarter of the 2021,... Read More
May 24, 2021 – The Under 27 Club: Music and Mental Health in the Streaming Era
In an era of hyper-connectivity and sensationalized news cycles, the passing of an artist triggers an immense outpouring of public grief and support in the form of social media buzz, increased record sales, catalog streams, and posthumous releases on behalf of the artist’s estate or record label. This obsession with tragic, high-profile deaths is nothing new, which is why the mythology of the 27 Club has haunted the music industry for decades. The term was coined in the early 1970s when Jim Morrison,... Read More
May 18, 2021 – How Will the Pandemic Affect U.S. Ecommerce Sales in 2021?
From Emarketer: “We estimate that US retail ecommerce sales grew 33.6% in 2020, reaching $799.18 billion. As the pandemic subsides, in-store shopping will rebound, and a share of consumer spending will revert away from retail and toward services like travel and live entertainment. However, sales growth this year will still build upon the massive upward revision from 2020, causing total ecommerce sales for 2021 to be more than $147 billion greater than we expected prior to the pandemic.... Read More
May 18, 2021 – Toward the Future of Digital Audience Measurement
As marketers continue leaning into new tools and technologies to prepare for a world without third-party cookies, much of the conversation about adaptation has focused on planning and targeting. These are obviously critical aspects of any marketing strategy, but it’s important to not exclude the need for accurate measurement as changes in the digital media environment accelerate. Importantly, the changes the industry has been making in response to increasing privacy requirements have implications for all aspects of digital marketing,... Read More
