Laura Fisher

Laura Fisher is an entertainment analyst at MIDiA Research, specialising in the industry’s interconnected landscape. A highly experienced consultant, Laura has worked on high profile projects in the media, entertainment and financial sectors. She has the proven ability to synthesise complex data into clear, actionable insights.

What to do when the medium loses meaning

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Laura Fisher

17 Jul 2025

Business Strategy

We are living through a peculiar moment in media evolution, where the traditional categories used to organising content – TV, radio, podcast, film – are collapsing under their own weight. Not because they are obsolete, but because they do not reflect how audiences are consuming media.

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Why podcasts triumph in real-life settings: a lesson in scene alignment

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Laura Fisher

10 Jul 2025

Podcasts are well and truly getting the in-real-life treatment. What began as a digitally native on-demand medium is now commanding physical spaces with remarkable success. This isn’t from the live recordings in and of themselves, but from mastering scene alignment .

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The rise of video podcasts: people-watching reimagined or a necessary evolution?

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Laura Fisher

2 Jul 2025

Cultural trends

Human nature and human nosiness seem to go hand in hand. There is something undeniably compelling about getting a view into someone else’s world. Historically, this would be in the form of a coy walk past a living-room window’s undrawn curtains in the street.

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International success for local language artists
A strategic playbook

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Laura Fisher

June 2025

UK

France

Spotify

The music industry is undergoing a paradigm shift. Success once required artists to fit the traditional industry model where anglicisation and relocation to traditional hubs like Los Angeles, New York, or London were prerequisites. Streaming platforms have democratised access, enabling artists to achieve international fame while remaining culturall...

Why 'Global South' is a limiting label for the music industry

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Laura Fisher

20 Jun 2025

Business Strategy

At MIDiA, we have started critically reassessing the use of the term‘ Global South’ , a phrase entrenched in industry and geopolitical discourse but increasingly unfit for purpose in today’s complex entertainment landscape.

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The evolving podcast landscape: Key insights from The Podcast Show 2025

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Laura Fisher

29 May 2025

Business Strategy

The 2025 Podcast Show revealed an industry in a stage of transformative growth. From the series of excellent talks, several key trends emerged, from legacy media, audio platforms, and creators adapting to new consumption patterns.

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The ARIA Awards 2025: Why can’t we all just get along?

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Laura Fisher

20 May 2025

Cultural trends

As someone with both a professional and personal obsession with all things audio, since the ceremony on the 14th of May, my LinkedIn feed has been unsurprisingly saturated with content about the ARIAs.

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2024 audio consumer profile
Habits, platforms, and personas

Laura Fisher

May 2025

Apple

Spotify

YouTube

This report presents MIDiA’s audio consumer survey data with a view to understand the global audio consumer.This report is a compilation of the most recent MIDiA audio data. Key data in this report: Platforms that podcast monthly listeners use to access their podcasts, Q4 2024, global Podcast monthly listeners main ways of discovering podcasts, Q...

The soft power of podcasting: how long-form audio is reshaping discourse

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Laura Fisher

14 May 2025

Marketing Strategy

In an era where attention spans are dwindling and media fragmentation is at an all-time high, podcasting has emerged as an unlikely but formidable force in shaping geopolitical narratives. Unlike traditional news radio or adversarial TV interviews, podcasts offer a unique blend of intimacy, depth, a...

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AI narration: hope or hindrance to audio creation?

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Laura Fisher

8 May 2025

Cultural trends

The conversation around AI narration has awakened a historic tension, one that emerges at the dawn of every technological epoch. The tension is not just about the capabilities of AI itself, but the gnawing uncertainty of what it means for humans.

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“Just because a song is viral doesn’t mean it’s good” and that’s a real problem for artists

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Laura Fisher

1 May 2025

I saw this statement shared (ironically, virally) as a post on Instagram over the weekend. My initial thought – from the perspective of someone who has never paid much mind to chart placements – was: “ well , yeah .

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What will audiobook market growth look like?

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Laura Fisher

24 Apr 2025

Key takeaways from this blog: Audiobooks are evolving into something far more than just a listening experience With its integration into the wellness sphere and innovations in immersive audio, the medium is carving out new paths MIDiA examines the evolution of audiobooks and the possibilities ahead ...

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UK media consumption Q4 2024
A mature market with niche growth prospects

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Laura Fisher

April 2025

Streaming

Streaming Music

US

This report presents MIDiA consumer entertainment data across media, music, audio, and games. Key data and insights: Time spent and weekly active users (by format and platform)for streaming music, podcasts, social media, games consoles and more. All data refers to the UK only (n = 1,000) except for ‘all-country average’ referring to the weighte...

A case against video podcasting

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Laura Fisher

16 Apr 2025

Product Strategy

Key takeaways from this blog: While video is at the forefront of entertainment, audio-only formats can be equally important for engagement Prioritising video-first podcasting risks dilution – favouring style, celebrity, and algorithms over knowledge and authenticity MIDiA argue that audio-only pod...

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Fandom reciprocity: Why sustaining a community requires give and take

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Laura Fisher

9 Apr 2025

Key takeaways from this blog: Fandoms are becoming two-way relationships, with artists like AJ Tracey and Maverick Sabre involving fans through grassroots gigs, remix contests, and fan-led tour decisions Fans want real engagement, not just content – prompting artists and labels to hire community m...

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Public Service Broadcasting in the digital age: why differentiation is non-negotiable

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Laura Fisher

2 Apr 2025

Business Strategy

Key takeaways from this blog: Streaming platforms now dominate entertainment, resharping audience expectations for entertainment However, public service broadcasters still have an important role to play in the media landscape, offering trust in an era of misinformation MIDiA argues that, in order to...

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Music subscriber market shares Q4 2024
Full stream ahead

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Mark Mulligan, Tatiana Cirisano, Mark Qi, Olivia Jones and Laura Fisher

March 2025

music subscriber market shares

Business Strategy

Streaming market metrics are bifurcating. Label streaming revenues were up in 2024, indicating a much anticipated slow down in revenue growth. Yet, at the same time, music subscriber growth was nearly double that of label streaming revenues for 2024. As is so often the case, there are many factors at play.

Cultural forecasting: how socio-economic moods can predict trends

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Laura Fisher

26 Mar 2025

Cultural trends

The entertainment industry is at a pivot point. For decades success relied on spotting emerging trends and amplifying them. This reactive model worked when cultural movements developed slowly through physical spaces and regional scenes.

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Live and direct: lessons for streamers from the appeal of online radio

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Laura Fisher

20 Mar 2025

Audience Insight

Key insights from this blog: Online radio has a growing audience, with further opportunity to capitalise on what is missing from music streaming We explore why online radio is gaining popularity – covering the elements of loyalty, dynamism, and humanity – and explain how this connects to MIDiA's...

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