Luminate’s Midyear Music Report for 2024 incorporates some fascinating classes for musicians.
The report additionally means that regardless of many latest controversies — similar to Spotify royalty modifications, Deezer catalog modifications, and the spectre of countless AI-generated music competing with human creativity — issues really appear MORE promising for decrease and mid-tier impartial artists.
So let’s take a look at a few of the report’s key takeaways, from the angle of a career-minded musician.
What’s Luminate’s Midyear Music Report?
Luminate (previously Neilsen Music) is an organization that supplies analytics in regards to the music and leisure industries.
The Midyear Music Report is a formidable and impressively-interactive examine of music engagement and shopper habits over the previous 6 months.
The report measures 23 trillion knowledge factors. From 1000’s of artists. In additional than 50 genres. In 48 markets. Gathered from 500+ sources throughout streaming, social, retail, and airplay.
Listed here are some encouraging numbers…
Streaming is (nonetheless) rising
The speed of streaming adoption differs vastly relying available on the market, however when measured worldwide: streaming is up considerably.
On-demand audio streaming grew 15.1% when in comparison with the primary half of 2023.
Unbiased music is capturing extra of the eye
Not solely has streaming grown total, so too has the share of complete streams commanded by impartial musicians:
Because the report states:
Do you know that indie artists made up 62.1% of all artists who amassed between 1M and 10M U.S. On-Demand Audio streams in (the primary half) of 2024?
Actually, the share of indie artists who earned greater than 500M On-Demand Audio streams elevated by greater than 2% in H1 2024 as in comparison with H2 2023.
So what number of artists garnered between 1 million and 10 million streams in H1 of 2024?
29,253.
Of which 62.1% have been NOT main label acts.
That is nice information for the massive and rising section of music-creators who fall between obscurity and superstardom.
So “middle-tier” artists are doing higher?
Sure, they’re commanding extra consideration. That being stated, some information shops have lined this story and used the time period “center class artist” as an alternative.
It’s possibly a small level, however I do need to tackle my concern about complicated these two phrases. Center-tier precisely describes the massive cohort of artists between the listening extremes, with the less-than-a-thousand crowd on the one facet, and the billion-streams membership on the opposite.
“Center class artist” (at the least to me) implies particular earnings or financial standing. And whereas loads of these middle-tier artists is not going to solely earn streaming income, but in addition obtain and merch gross sales, live performance ticket gross sales, sync licensing charges, and extra — middle-tier streaming exercise by itself could not equal center class earnings, notably if income is cut up between a number of collaborators, co-writers, and many others.
Once more, streaming doesn’t occur in a vacuum, so there’s overlap between middle-tier and middle-class artists, however… I simply needed so as to add a phrase of warning about the excellent news headlines.
My caveats apart, total streaming progress mixed with middle-tier artist progress IS unambiguously nice information.
Is your oldest music nonetheless new?
I’ve been saying for years that even your oldest music shall be model new to most listeners.
And in some methods, given our passive consumption atmosphere pushed by algorithmic suggestion and playlists, release-dates matter lower than ever.
This slide suggests as a lot:
Now when Luminate tracks “deep catalog” exercise, they’re actually a complete historical past of recorded music’s greatest hits. So in fact that’s nonetheless attracting huge consideration.
However as Kevin Breuner and I’ve mentioned on loads of events, our personal children actually don’t care about launch dates. They don’t know if a music got here out within the Sixties, the 80s, 2010, or yesterday.
In the event that they haven’t heard it, they usually hear it, they usually prefer it, they prefer it.
So the ability of catalog is extra than simply the gravity it holds for nostalgic generations. It’s one thing less complicated: It’s good music. And in case your oldest tracks are nice too, they’ll have the identical impression on new listeners.
How encouraging!
The lesson? Develop methods to market your again catalog.
A.I. ain’t received nuthin’ on us!
This subsequent concept just isn’t taken from the report, however I used to be pondering that if catalog music remains to be so useful, and if middle-tier artist engagement is on the rise,…
… aren’t each of these issues mixed proof that demand for human creativity remains to be enormously excessive?
Maybe our fears that robots will exchange us are a bit overblown.
AI instruments are opening a world of recent potentialities for human artists. And this Luminate report really makes me extra excited to see how these instruments are utilized by that very same group of middle-tier creators who’re already attracting listeners, driving tendencies, and innovating by necessity of their manufacturing and music advertising and marketing techniques.
Bodily codecs are essential
There’s a lot knowledge to dig into relating to CD and vinyl gross sales that I’m going to put in writing a devoted article. However the TLDR is: You (most likely) ought to supply bodily music codecs!
Outcomes range by style, in fact, however a a major quantity of music engagement and income remains to be pushed by the acquisition of CD and vinyl:
Paid streaming subscribers who’re followers of Ok-Pop and Latin Music specifically are very prone to buy bodily codecs:
Diehard followers additionally love variants (CD, vinyl, cassette, and many others), completely different shade vinyl, completely different album cowl choices, bonus editions, and extra.
Acts like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish are in a position to pull that off in a way more sturdy manner, however the lesson stays:
Make your music merch really feel like a collector’s merchandise. Uncommon. Crafted. Definitely worth the greater value.
Having fun with the true world? Thank Gen Z!
In case you consider Gen Z is maximally on-line, you’d solely be half proper. It now additionally seems that this demographic is the most prone to attend dwell concert events:
So in the event you’re glad your favourite act remains to be in a position to tour, possibly cease making enjoyable of Gen Z’s smartphone habits and thank them for going out and paying to see dwell music!
And if you’re a member of Gen Z (ages 15-27), pat your self on the again and maintain attending as many reveals as now you can. As a result of nothing slows down your nightlife fairly like children and careers. 😱
TikTok remains to be on prime
Fortunately, folks appear to be listening to music extra typically than they select different leisure actions like sports activities, studying, podcasts, and short-form video. However after they mix music consumption with short-form video, the place do listeners flip?
TikTok.
YouTube Shorts appears to be catching up rapidly although.
Lesson? Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts have made enormous strikes; and discuss of TikTok bans or compelled acquisitions within the USA have brought about some musicians to imagine they’ll or ought to abandon the app.
Customers inform a unique story.
In fact it is best to solely be energetic as an artist on platforms that align together with your values and pursuits, however if you need to be the place the persons are, the persons are on TikTok.
Video drives gig attendance
Assume the common TikTok consumer simply sits on the sofa looking at their display all day?
Nope! They sometimes take quick breaks to go see concert events. ; )
This stat could overlap with the Gen Z and TikTok observations above, but it surely’s fascinating by itself as effectively: Quick-form video customers are 38% extra prone to go to dwell concert events.
Which is a pleasant counter to the anticipated narrative. And it’s one thing that artists like Windborne have know for years:
You possibly can successfully attain audiences and promote dwell occasions through geo-tagged video content material on TikTok!
Avid gamers pays you extra
In accordance with Luminate’s report, players throughout the generations are extra possible to purchase music merch:
Is the lesson that it is best to promote music to players?
Not essentially. Although “gaming” is a broad time period and touches many audiences, it’s most likely true that sure genres like EDM, rock, hip-hop, lo-fi, pop, and possibly even modern classical will carry out higher with players than issues like folks, jazz, kids’s music, and many others.
However in the event you DO make music that can resonate with players, and need to be energetic within the locations they’re already hanging out, right here’s the place to go:
Companion with the platforms
One of many research I discovered essentially the most fascinating requested which options are most essential for music customers after they’re contemplating their loyalty to any specific streaming platform:
HiFi audio has change into LESS essential to customers.
What’s most essential? Entry to the artists!
Issues like unique content material, updates from the artist, information in regards to the artist, and livestreaming.
If that’s what platform customers need — nearer relationships and entry to you, the artist — consider your self as a associate within the platform’s client-retention efforts. Give the DSPs what they need, and also you’ll most likely profit from elevated visibility.
The problem for an artist working their very own profession, in fact, is to offer “unique” content material to quite a few platforms. By definition, that’s not scalable.
But it surely does spotlight that you just SHOULD be offering unique content material to at the least the most important platforms.
For example, Spotify Clips and Canvas, or Pandora AMP’s Artist Audio Messaging.
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Conclusion
There’s a lot extra in Luminate’s report, and I’ve simply commented on elements I discovered most related for impartial musicians.
If you wish to try the entire thing, and I feel it is best to (even simply to marvel on the design), go right here.
