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.
December 26, 2019 – Music Documentary Market Booms: “It’s a Land Grab Right Now”
On the heels of Apple TV+ ponying up a whopping $26 million for a film about singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and Amazon paying $25 million for a Peter Berg-directed Rihanna doc, dealmakers say the space will only get hotter. In fact, sources say Peter Jackson’s Let It Be Beatles doc, now making the rounds, is sparking a frenzy, with buyers predicting the price tag will eclipse the R.J. Cutler-helmed Eilish movie ($1 million more than originally reported).... Read More
December 23, 2019 – How Pop Made a Streaming Dent in 2019, Thanks to Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish and More
Last year, only two Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s didn’t feature a rapper. The rest were dominated by Hip-Hop stars like Cardi B, Post Malone, Childish Gambino, Travis Scott and, for a record 29 weeks, Drake. In 2019, while plenty of rap can still be found at the top of the chart, there’s also a long list of top 40 artists — including Selena Gomez, the Jonas Brothers, Lady Gaga, Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello and (in multiple appearances) Ariana Grande — leading the way for what has been a massive comeback for pop.... Read More
December 20, 2019 – Ten Years After: Music Consumers and the Decade of the Teens
At the close of the “aughts” few in the music industry looked back with nostalgia. The next decade appeared uncertain. Tom Silverman, a label executive, visionary and friend would talk about the billions of consumers around the globe who would soon pay for music. But it was hard to see that happening as we welcomed in 2010. Turns out Tom was right. The music industry experienced a rebound in revenues and investment during the past decade. ... Read More
December 17, 2019 – Thanksgiving Weekend Draws Nearly 190 Million Shoppers, Spending Up 16 Percent
A record 189.6 million U.S. consumers shopped from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday this year, an increase of 14 percent over last year’s 165.8 million, the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics said in a press release. Shoppers spent an average $361.90 on holiday items over the five-day period, up 16 percent from $313.29 during the same period last year. Of the total, $257.33 (71 percent) was specifically spent on gifts. The biggest spenders were 25- to 34-year-olds at $440.46,... Read More
December 13, 2019 – Holiday Shopping Behaviors Can Vary By Where Consumers Live, Reports NPD
Although online shopping has erased geographic barriers for many consumers, there are still holiday shopping behaviors that differ between urban and rural consumers. Urban consumers in the U.S. plan to spend 33% more on their holiday shopping this year than those in rural areas, and rural consumers are most likely to buy some of the key categories of the season, according to insights from the 2019 Holiday Purchase Intentions Survey from The NPD Group. “The growth in online shopping has increased the importance of understanding how a consumer’s location impacts their shopping behaviors,” said Marshal Cohen,... Read More
December 12, 2019 – Record Store Day Black Friday 2019 Helps Drive Third-Biggest Sales Week for Vinyl In Nielsen Era
Record Store Day Black Friday promotions on Nov. 29 helped drive another big win for vinyl album sales — and the largest overall sales week for albums in 2019 — according to Nielsen Music. The data tracking firm reports that 855,000 vinyl albums were sold in the U.S. during the week of Nov. 29 through Dec. 5 — the third-largest sales week for vinyl LPs since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991. The only weeks with larger sales were the frames ending Dec.... Read More
December 6, 2019 – Taylor Swift And Billie Eilish Have Made 2019 A Huge Year For Women Selling Vinyl
For years now, one of the most surprising stories in the music industry has been the resurgence of vinyl as a popular musical format. It all but disappeared for decades, but in just a relatively short span of time, many fans have decided they prefer the higher quality audio and that they enjoy owning their favorite albums in a collectible form, and thus vinyl sales have skyrocketed, but only for some acts. Rock musicians primarily pushed this trend,... Read More
December 4, 2019 – Cyber Monday Totalled $9.4 Billion in U.S. Online Sales, Smartphones Accounted for a Record $3 Billion
Cyber Monday — the final day of the extended Thanksgiving weekend that traditionally kicks off holiday season spend — broke another e-commerce record: US shoppers racked up a total of $9.4 billion in online sales, according to figures from Adobe. To put that number into some perspective, at its peak, consumers were spending $12 million per minute; this was the first day to see sales via smartphones break the $3 billion mark; and this was $1.5 billion more than shoppers spent on Cyber Monday a year ago (remember the days when breaking $1 billion was a big deal?).... Read More
December 3, 2019 – Target and Walmart Help Propel Vinyl Album Sales to Blockbuster Week
Vinyl album sales in the U.S. surged pass the half-million mark last week, scoring the second-largest week for vinyl in 2019. According to Nielsen Music, 544,000 vinyl albums were sold in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 28 (up a big 60% compared to the previous week’s tally of 340,000). The 544,000 haul is the second-biggest week for the format this year, behind only the 827,000 sold during Record Store Day week (week ending April 18).... Read More
December 2, 2019 – 2019 AMAs Drives 108% Sales Gain for Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Post Malone and More
Acts ranging from Post Malone and Shania Twain to Kesha and Thomas Rhett saw big sales gains in wake of the 2019 American Music Awards, according to initial reports to Nielsen Music. Collectively, the songs performed on the Nov. 24 ABC TV broadcast garnered a 108% gain in sales of digital downloads on Nov. 24-26, as compared to the three days prior to the show (Nov. 21-23). In total, the performed songs sold 84,000 on Nov.... Read More
