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.
November 21, 2018 – NRF Survey Says More Than 164 Million Consumers Plan to Shop Over Five-Day Thanksgiving Weekend
Retailers are preparing for one of their biggest weekends of the year as an estimated 164 million people are already planning to go shopping Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, according to the annual survey released today by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The survey found that of those planning to shop during the long holiday weekend 21 percent (34 million) plan to shop on Thanksgiving Day, but Black Friday will remain the busiest day with 71 percent (116 million) planning to shop.... Read More
November 19, 2018 – Voice tech Like Alexa and Siri Hasn’t Found Its True Calling Yet: Inside The Voice Assistant ‘Revolution’
You can soon, if you insist, talk to your microwave — and it will listen. Amazon recently announced a $60 voice-activated microwave, along with 10 other new products using its Alexa voice assistant. Roll your eyes if you’d like, but it’s the latest example of Amazon’s obsession with making Alexa — which first launched four years ago — ubiquitous, from the kitchen to the car. And Amazon is hardly alone. Google has been ramping up its Assistant voice-powered gadget lineup,... Read More
November 16, 2018 – Report: 1 Billion Devices Support Voice Assistants As U.S. Consumer Base Continues To Grow
Voice assistants and smart devices are one of the hottest topics for the audio industry, and a new report from Voicebot.ai, PullString, and the RAIN Agency traces the trend’s progress. According to the report, voice assistants have moved out of their first phase, marked by availability across platforms and languages and access to core features. It suggested that the second phase of voice will be marked by more nuanced features, use in more contexts, and availability on more connected devices.... Read More
November 12, 2018 – 90% Of Consumers In Spotify’s Home Market Stream Music, But Only 43% Pay For It
A new streaming music survey in the Nordic countries offers a look at what may be the best that Spotify and the music industry can hope for when it comes to paid versus free streaming. Since streaming music was all but invented there, the Nordic countries of Norway, Finland, Denmark and Spotify’s home country of Sweden, are considered to be streaming’s most mature market. “The recent explosion in digital music consumption is a very positive thing: it testifies to how the legal and well-functioning streaming services are easily available and accessible and have become part of everyday life.... Read More
November 9, 2018 – Social media growth is over in the U.S. — which is its most valuable market
Social media companies aren’t growing as quickly as they used to. In some cases, they aren’t growing at all. In the United States, things are even worse for them: They’re shrinking. Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat are no longer adding new users in the United States. Facebook’s daily user base has been the same for the past three quarters. Twitter and Snapchat have both lost users in the U.S. or North America, respectively, in back-to-back quarters. American users are incredibly valuable to these tech giants.... Read More
November 7, 2018 – What Does Music Have To Gain From The Future Of Transportation? More Than You Might Think
Ever since the 1950s, when car manufacturers first introduced FM radio receivers inside their vehicles, the mainstream music industry has relied heavily on cars as a significant—if arguably old-fashioned—source of revenue. But newer tech trends like ridesharing, 5G and edge computing are poised to alter transportation, and its accompanying media ecosystem, as we know it. It’s no surprise that the music industry, whose financial health is tightly tethered to mobile and on-the-go media trends, wants in.... Read More
November 6, 2018 – Is Japan Finally Ready For The Streaming Revolution?
A new report by indie music rights agency Merlin highlights the slow but now steady shift towards music streaming in Japan, one of the world’s last bastions of physical product. As the second largest music market in the world, Japan has been historically slow to take up streaming music despite the presence of advanced broadband capabilities in much of the country. As of 2017, 80% of music sold in the country comes via physical product, according to the Recording Industry Association of Japan,... Read More
November 5, 2018 – The Live Music Industry Will Be Worth $31 Billion Worldwide by 2022
According to a new study from Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), the live concert industry will experience significant growth during the next few years. Breaking down entertainment industries in the Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2018-2022 report, PwC reveals live music revenue will increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.3% heading into 2022. This includes ticket sales and sponsorship. According to the calculation, the live concert industry’s total revenue will reach $31 billion in four years. ... Read More
October 29, 2018 – What’s Next For Podcasting?
The podcast market will discover the answer to a foundational question about its future in the next few years. Will it continue along the path of music streaming, where all podcasts are available everywhere on free, ad-supported tiers? Or, will it follow the path of streaming TV into paid subscription services with exclusive content? Today, effectively all of the industry’s revenue is from advertising — at least in the United States. However, we’re seeing the first steps being taken toward paid subscriptions and exclusive content.... Read More
October 24, 2018 – Paid Music Streaming Subs Will Hit 235 Million by the End of 2018
Music streaming continues its ascendance, with the number of paid streaming subscriptions on track to reach 235 million worldwide by the end of 2018, according to a new music market report from Futuresource Consulting. “Streaming subscriptions accounted for over half of all global spend on music last year, a segment which includes packaged music, pay-per-download singles and albums, and streaming music subscriptions,” says David Sidebottom, Principal Analyst at Futuresource Consulting. “In the first half of 2018,... Read More
