In our digital lives today, we tend to use our favourite apps throughout the day. So, why does the entertainment tech industry still focus on daily, weekly, or, in way too many cases, monthly usage (we’re looking at you, Spotify ..read more

A couple of weeks ago Rick Beato put out a video titled “The real reason why music is getting worse”. The core arguments centre around too many people making music, and tech making it both easier to make music and  for people to be lazy creators. And while Beato followed his original argument with an ‘old man yells at cloud’ video (this time titled “I know you’re angry, so am I…”), he stood his ground. The problem is, what constitutes ‘good music’ is entirely subjective. If it was only about technique then the majority of popular music would consistently lose against classical or jazz. M ..read more

It appears to be the time of year for music forecasts. Today MIDiA is proud to announce the release of our global music forecasts report, which marks the tenth year of us doing these! The full 75+ page report and 40+ page datasheet for 45+ countries and regions, is available to MIDiA clients and for purchase here. And for the first time, we have also created a public page for the forecasts where you can watch a video of the music forecasts team talking about some of the big themes, and there’s a free summary report to download too. Of course, data without context are just numbers, so ..read more

I recently presented the tenth edition of the IMS Business Report at the Ibiza-based conference. In MIDiA’s second year creating the report, the findings reveal a global electronic music industry that not only has positive revenue trends but is also experiencing a global cultural resurgence. Here are some of the key findings of the report, which can be downloaded for free here: Fandom surge: Electronic music is the smaller of the big, global music genres, but it is, nonetheless, a member of that genre club and it is quickly gaining ground on its peers. Electronic music is growing fa ..read more

One of things we pride ourselves on at MIDiA is helping the marketplace peer over the horizon with disruptive, forward-looking ideas and vision. We have a long track record of doing this (you can find a list of report links at the bottom of this post). While many of these ideas were difficult to swallow, or a little ‘out there’ at the time of writing, they became (or are still becoming) a good reflection of where markets ended up heading. Well, it is now time for another of those big market shaping ideas: bifurcation theory. Today, MIDiA publishes its major new report: ‘Bifurcation theory | H ..read more

The music business is bifurcating. On one side, a new AI, fandom, and creation centred business is coalescing. On the other, the traditional business is pulling the draw bridge over its moat by pushing up streaming royalty thresholds to ensure the soon-to-explode long tail knows it is not welcome. AI has arrived at just the right time, acting as the change catalyst that will propel the consumerisation of creation to the fore. The news of music AI start up Udio’s $10 million raise is just another piece in the puzzle. The traditional music business has a long tradition of building moats. Th ..read more

MIDiA recently, and exclusively, revealed that expanded rights now represent 10% of the recorded music market with revenues of $3.5 billion. These revenues, derived principally from monetising the brand of the artist (merch, sponsorships, branding, live, etc.), represent a shift in strategic focus for the global music business. It is moving from a consumption economy to a fan economy. This is only the start. To truly harness the vast potential of a fan economy, three key things need to be addressed: Image and likeness: The music industry’s current social media focus might be th ..read more

Growth is back! After a slower 2022, global recorded music revenues grew by 9.8% in 2023 to reach $35.1 billion, compared to 7.1% in 2022, which means that the market is now more than double (124.5%) the size it was in 2015. 2023 was the year in which the industry settled back into a positive growth trajectory after the volatility of the pandemic and post-pandemic years. But the numbers also point to a market that is embarking on a major period of change. The recorded music market is becoming more diversified, and although streaming is still the centre piece, its role is lessening. Streaming ..read more

MIDiA is fielding its annual music creator survey and if you are a music creator we would like you to take part. Whether you are a songwriter, artist, producer, engineer, vocalist, DJ, instrumentalist, soundtrack composer, or whatever you may be, we want to hear from you. This is an opportunity for you to have your voice heard on some of the most important issues facing music creators in today’s industry.  On top of that, all participants will receive full access to the results of the survey so you can benchmark yourself against your peers. You will be able to compare against the industry ..read more

With UMG leading the charge to reshape the music industry into a more label-friendly form, 2023 may, with hindsight, go down as the year before everything changed. Whatever lies ahead though, new models will take time to deliver benefits. Music subscriptions are therefore going to remain the bedrock of music rightsholder revenues for the foreseeable future. So, it is a good thing that music subscriptions had such a good year in 2023. As of Q3 2023, there were 713.4 million music subscribers globally, which was 90 million up on the 623.4 million one year earlier in Q3 2022. This matters f ..read more