MIDiA Blog

Read our latest daily deep dives, hot takes, and exciting updates about the entertainment world. Check out the latest insight from your favourite analyst, or search by coverage areas - music, entertainment and fandom, creator economy and social.

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

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

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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The new soft power and its hidden rules

Cover image for The new soft power and its hidden rules

Mark Mulligan

15 May 2025

Business Strategy

Throughout the 20th century, particularly the second half, many Western countries – such as the US, UK, and France – increased their global influence through the use of cultural soft power. This was done through tools like Voice of America and the BBC World Service, as well as via movies, TV, journalism, and music.

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Built for the split: how Create Music Group is positioning itself for a bifurcated industry

Cover image for Built for the split: how Create Music Group is positioning itself for a bifurcated industry

Tatiana Cirisano

15 May 2025

Business Strategy

The music industry is entering a new phase – less a fork in the road, than a slow but steady divergence . On one path sits the traditional record label model, which monetises music rights via scale of streams.

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The paradox of scale and success: What music can learn from gin distilleries

Cover image for The paradox of scale and success: What music can learn from gin distilleries

Hanna Kahlert

14 May 2025

Business Strategy

The digital world is becoming less reliable. Platforms are flooded with AI content ranging from banal, to amusing, to concerningly incorrect . Advertising crowds the feed alongside creators desperately trying to sell something: themselves, a lifestyle, products, businesses.

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

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

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, and authenticity; qualities that politicians are increasingly leveraging to bypass conventional media gatekeepers.

min read

Music discovery is not dead, just evolving – the industry needs to evolve with it

Cover image for Music discovery is not dead, just evolving – the industry needs to evolve with it

Olivia Jones

9 May 2025

Audience Insight

Music streaming

Music streaming algorithms have changed the way we listen to music – for better and for worse. While the radio used to be the main way to find new music, streaming and social algorithms now drive discovery as listeners crave (and have come to expect) more personalised recommendations.

min read

Where do you stand on AI’s transformation of the video creator economy?

Cover image for Where do you stand on AI’s transformation of the video creator economy?

Ben Woods

9 May 2025

Audience Insight

Artificial intelligence is imposing revolutionary change on the creator economy. Tried and tested workflows are being automated, streamlined, and recalibrated by large language learning models that are promising to rid creators of tedious tasks.

min read

Unintended consequences – the year ahead for streaming

Cover image for Unintended consequences – the year ahead for streaming

Mark Mulligan

8 May 2025

Business Strategy

Streaming may be maturing from a revenue perspective but with two-tier (‘artist centric’) licensing and supremium, 2025 is set to be a year of transformative change in both product and business terms.

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AI narration: hope or hindrance to audio creation?

Cover image for AI narration: hope or hindrance to audio creation?

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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What “Make Hollywood Great Again” really means for entertainment

Cover image for What “Make Hollywood Great Again” really means for entertainment

Hanna Kahlert

8 May 2025

Business Strategy

On Sunday, May 4th, President Trump announced his intent to put a “100 per cent Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands”. The administration has stated it is “exploring all options” and that no final decisions have been made.

min read

Has music reached peak fragmentation?

Cover image for Has music reached peak fragmentation?

Tatiana Cirisano

2 May 2025

Audience Insight

If you have read any of MIDiA’s work, you will know we keep a close eye on the fragmentation of music consumption. Thanks to both the internet’s democratising force and the rise of recommendation algorithms, consumers are spreading their listening across more songs and artists than ever, while the “hits” are dominating less.

min read

AI prompting is an art form that will reshape creation

Cover image for AI prompting is an art form that will reshape creation

Ben Woods

1 May 2025

Product Strategy

Key takeaways from this blog: Generative AI is reshaping creative workflows, with MIDiA’s research highlighting how AI-only video production is already achievable The next creative divide will be defined by prompting skill level: those who can expertly translate vision into AI prompts will be ahead of the curve and set the standard for creators As AI tools evolve, MIDiA foresees a new generation of AI-native creators poised to redefine professional-grade output Who will be left behind by the AI revolution? Many industries are predicted to pivot towards autonomous workflows that will streamline some jobs out of existence.

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Are we reaching peak fandom?

Cover image for Are we reaching peak fandom?

Mark Mulligan

1 May 2025

Business Strategy

With streaming revenue growth slowing to 6.2% in 2024, the recorded music industry’s attention is firmly fixed on superfans as the ‘get out of jail free’ card. The growing sophistication of artist merch has reached the stage where fans can buy Taylor Swift fashion bags and shop her jewelry range , meanwhile all eyes are on the impending Spotify supremium tier (as reported by Bloomberg ).

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

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

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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There is no Pirates of the Caribbean 6: How long is the internet going to work?

Cover image for There is no Pirates of the Caribbean 6: How long is the internet going to work?

Hanna Kahlert

29 Apr 2025

Cultural trends

Generative AI is improving, and its use is increasing. AI tools have rapidly accelerated , and, as a result, AI is now widely used to generate lesson plans, find recipe measurements, and draft lists of potential client companies.

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How economic volatility will impact US labels’ fandom monetisation push

Cover image for How economic volatility will impact US labels’ fandom monetisation push

Olivia Jones

25 Apr 2025

Business Strategy

It has been an eventful few weeks for the global economy, to put it mildly. Since President Trump’s initial announcement calling for a universal baseline tariff on foreign imports to the US at the beginning of this month, global financial markets have been in flux, affecting nearly every sector from car manufacturing to electronics.

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What will audiobook market growth look like?

Cover image for What will audiobook market growth look like?

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 for the growth of audiobooks Over the past couple of decades, audiobooks have undergone a quiet metamorphosis.

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What does it mean for OpenAI to go social?

Cover image for What does it mean for OpenAI to go social?

Hanna Kahlert

24 Apr 2025

Business Strategy

Key takeaways from this blog: Tech giants are doubling down on AI, with social seemingly the next frontier for innovation OpenAI may be flipping the script: not adding AI to a social platform, but building social around AI This could change how we create and share online – but potentially conflict with MIDiA's findings on the reasons audiences use social media platforms AI has been the rallying cry of tech companies for the last two years.

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IMS Business Report 2025

Cover image for IMS Business Report 2025

Mark Mulligan

23 Apr 2025

Today I presented the 11th edition of the IMS Business Report at the ever-brilliant annual electronic music industry conference in Ibiza. And who doesn’t like a conference in Ibiza?! The full report is available via the IMS website.

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Video creators: Tell us how you create for a chance to win a slice of our $1,000 prize pool

Cover image for Video creators: Tell us how you create for a chance to win a slice of our $1,000 prize pool

Ben Woods

17 Apr 2025

Audience Insight

After a successful launch last year, MIDiA is returning with a new survey to ensure the voice of video creators is heard loud and clear across the industry. To achieve this, we are calling on all video creators – no matter their skill or what they create – to complete a quick survey to ensure the industry is armed with the information it needs to support creators now, and into the future.

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