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 19, 2016 – Deeper Than Dollars: Global Perceptions About Premium Products
Around the world, consumers are looking for a taste of the good life. And it’s not just those who are wealthy. Sales of products in the “premium” tier—which Nielsen defines as goods that cost at least 20% more than average price for the category—are growing at a rapid pace. In fact, the growth of the premium sector in many markets is outpacing total growth for many fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) categories. Click here to read more.... Read More
December 13, 2016 – Why 2016 Will Go Down As a Giant Year for the Global Recorded Music Business
Early indications are that the global recorded music business is set for its first significant recovery in over 15 years in 2016 – as streaming keeps growing in markets where many predicted it had hit its limit. Half-year 2016 data collated by MBW shows significant growth in no less than 12 key nations, indicating that a revenue increase in the region of 5% should hold true for the worldwide label business across 2016. Read more here.... Read More
December 12, 2016 – [WEEKLY SALES] ‘Hamilton’ Makes Grand Entrance on Charts with Mixtape
James Donio, President of the Music Business Association (Music Biz), commented on this week’s sales numbers issued by Nielsen (published in Billboard) and BuzzAngle Music (published in HITS Daily Double). “The Broadway sensation Hamilton: An American Musical made a major mark on the charts this week, as the new Hamilton Mixtape debuted at #1 on the Nielsen and BuzzAngle Music Charts, earning approximately 190,000 album equivalent units. The album includes guest appearances by artists including Chance The Rapper,... Read More
December 9, 2016 – Losing A Legend: How Leonard Cohen Fans Pay Tribute
Adding to the loss of so many music icons throughout 2016, the recent death of singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen highlights the impact that the passing of an artist can have on music sales and streaming. Canadian fans paid tribute to Cohen not only by consuming music from across his catalogue, but by engaging with music from related artists’ repertoires as well. Click here to read more.... Read More
December 7, 2016 – Christmas In The Fall? Holiday Magic Creeps Earlier Each Year
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday over for another year, the final holiday stretch of 2016 is well underway. With decorations up, presents appearing under the trees, holiday music on the airways and classic TV movies on the screen, it is hard to look around and not see signs of the holiday season. Click here to read more: http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2016/christmas-in-the-fall-holiday-magic-creeps-earlier-each-year.html... Read More
December 5, 2016 – [WEEKLY SALES] The Weeknd Lands Third-Biggest Debut of 2016 with Starboy
James Donio, President of the Music Business Association (Music Biz), commented on this week’s sales numbers issued by Nielsen (published in Billboard) and Border City Media (published in HITS Daily Double). “The Weeknd landed the third-biggest album debut of 2016 with his latest, Starboy, earning around 350,000 album equivalent units on the Nielsen and BuzzAngle Music charts. Beyonce’s Lemonade and Drake’s Views were the only two 2016 albums to earn more in their debut weeks.... Read More
December 5, 2016 – Record Store Day Black Friday Sales Up Over Prior Year
Independent music retail stores have reported the following statistics provided by BuzzAngle Music regarding Record Store Day‘s Black Friday weekend event: Black Friday vinyl album sales were up 15% compared to Black Friday 2015 Black Friday total album sales (CD and Vinyl) were up 1% compared to Black Friday 2015 Vinyl album sales on Black Friday weekend were up 12% compared to Black Friday Weekend 2015 ... Read More
December 2, 2016 – Orderly Transition: As Paid Music Streaming Escalates No Paying Downloader Can Be Left Behind
As rapidly as the music business is moving to paid streaming subscriptions from paid downloads there’s an argument to be made that it needs to move even faster…Even as Americans bought fewer CDs we continued to listen to them. CD revenues fell 52 percent between 2011 and 2015 (RIAA), yet the percent of people who listened remained reasonably steady at a few points above 50 percent. As recently as Q3 2016 MusicWatch’s audiocensussm monthly tracking survey shows that 52% of the internet population listened to a CD in the past three months.... Read More
November 30, 2016 – IFPI Investing In Music Report 2016
Record labels invested $4.5 billion in A&R and marketing in 2015, according to a new report from music industry trade body the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). If that figure looks familiar, it’s because it’s the same level of spending as five years ago, and only a marginal increase on 2013 — the last time that IFPI reported on the size and scale of record label investment. Read more in Billboard here: http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7595908/label-investment-ar-2015-ifpi-report Click here to access the IFPI report: http://investinginmusic.ifpi.org/... Read More
November 30, 2016 – Ben Rector, LunchMoney Lewis & More Earn Sales Gains After Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
The 2016 edition of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, held Nov. 24 in New York City and broadcast on NBC, received a soundtrack from well over a dozen artists during its three-hour run time, with many seeing notable digital sales gains, according to Nielsen Music, as the sales tracking week wrapped up at the end of that day. LunchMoney Lewis, Johnnyswim and Easton Corbin see the largest single-song sales gains in the tracking week, which helps populate the Billboard charts dated Dec.... Read More
