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.
January 4, 2018 – Music Consumption Jumps In Big Year For Streaming, Hip-Hop/R&B & vinyl: Comment from Music Biz President James Donio
James Donio, President of the Music Business Association (Music Biz), commented on 2017 year-end music consumption data issued by Nielsen (published in Billboard) and BuzzAngle Music (published in HITS Daily Double). “Stellar streaming-driven growth, an unprecedented performance by R&B/Hip-Hop music, and historic vinyl sales delivered a more than 12% rise in total consumption to the U.S. music industry in 2017, according to Nielsen (12.5% increase to 636.65 million album equivalent units) and BuzzAngle Music (12.8% increase to 603.2 million units).... Read More
January 4, 2018 – Taylor Swift Has Year’s Top-Selling Album; Streaming Hits Record High in 2017
According to BuzzAngle Music record streaming numbers led to a 12.8% rise in music consumption, the third consecutive year of growth for the music industry. Audio stream consumption was the major reason for the promising results, with a 50.3% increase to a record 377 billion streams, 127 billion more than in 2016. Subscription streams are now at 80% of total audio streams, up from 76% in 2016. Click here to read more.... Read More
January 4, 2018 – U.S. Music Consumption Up 12.5% in 2017, R&B/Hip-Hop Is Year’s Most Popular Genre
According to Nielsen Music, total music consumption in the U.S. in 2017 climbed 12.5 percent to 636.65 million units (up from 566.1 million). That figure adds together traditional album sales, track equivalent album units, and on-demand streaming equivalent album units from both video and audio streams. One track equivalent album unit is equal to 10 tracks sold. One streaming equivalent album unit is equal to 1,500 on-demand streams. Click here to read more.... Read More
January 3, 2018 – Ranked: The 50 biggest songs of 2017
2017 was a groundbreaking year in pop music in which an exciting new generation of young artists bolstered by streaming challenged the big stars and their stale album rollouts to create the most interesting Top 40 music we’ve heard in years. USA TODAY worked with BuzzAngle Music and Mediabase to pull the 50 biggest songs by the numbers (taking into account sales and streaming) released in 2017. Click here to read more.... Read More
January 3, 2018 – What’s in store for 2018
The business of predictions is not for the faint-hearted. Forecasting what’s next for the retail industry, in the throes of its most transformative period in decades, is a dicey objective at best. Witness those who spent the better part of 2017 predicting a retail apocalypse, based largely on the number of bricks-and-mortar stores that have announced closings. While there’s no question that the over-stored and over-malled industry is experiencing a correction, the industry is not dying.... Read More
December 15, 2017 – Nearly 40 Percent of Shoppers Will Give the Gift of An Experience This Holiday, Reports NPD
Rather than filling stockings or wrapping packages, many holiday shoppers plan to purchase less tangible gifts this year, reports The NPD Group, a leading global information company. According to NPD’s 2017 Holiday Purchase Intentions Survey, purchase intent is down across many general merchandise categories, but consumers place a high value on experiences – in their homes, when shopping, and as gifts. Thirty-nine percent of U.S. consumers plan to purchase experiential gifts this holiday season,... Read More
December 13, 2017 – Music Biz Congratulates Past Award Winners Featured in Billboard’s ‘100 Best Songs of 2017 Critics’ Picks’
The Music Business Association would like to congratulate all those making Billboard’s “100 Best Songs” list. We would especially like to call out our past award winners on their accomplishments this year and wish them the best of luck in 2018! Maren Morris, our 2017 Breakthrough Artist, appears at No. 71 with “I Could Use a Love Song.” Little Big Town, Music Biz 2016 Artist, lands on the list with “Better Man” at the 57th spot.... Read More
December 12, 2017 – Taking Stock of Sports Radio Listening, Millennial Music Tastes and More
The end of the year is rapidly approaching, and seasonal variations in how Americans listen to the radio are influencing stations everywhere as December marches on. For some, this time of year is all about holiday music and its far-reaching effects across the radio dial. Over the next few weeks, the full impact of stations that flipped to an all-Christmas format will become apparent in Nielsen’s portable people meter (PPM) markets. Click here to read more.... Read More
December 7, 2017 – 5 Trends for Retailers to Watch Out for this Holiday Season
The 2017 holiday season is shaping up to be a promising one. Consumer discretionary spending has been bolstered throughout the year by low unemployment, a growing stock market and a more optimistic consumer. Although aggregate spending trends are pointed in the right direction, that’s not to say that every retailer is sharing in the gains proportionately. In fact, we’ve seen thousands of retail store closings, consumers shifting their spending toward different sectors of the retail economy and the rise of Amazon putting pressure on many retailers’ bottom lines.... Read More
