Blog: Music Subscriptions

When IDAGIO commissioned MIDiA to explore the classical music audience globally, we were excited to validate the hypothesis that a classical music resurgence was possible in today’s on-demand music streaming world.

Music subscribers grew by 16% in the first half of 2018 to reach 229.5 million, up from 198.6 million at the end of 2017. Year-on-year the global subscriber base increased by 38%, adding 62.8 million subscribers.

There are now 436 million paying subscribers across five of the largest distributors of digital music and video content globally (Spotify, Apple Music, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Tencent). This has very different implications depending on which part of the ecosystem your business sits in.

MIDiA is back with another exclusive industry event, bringing together experts, decision makers, innovators and entrepreneurs from all across the digital entertainment spectrum. This event will explore the transition in music and video from linear consumption to streaming and subscription, examining the impact of the access-over-ownership shift and what to expect of its denouement.

As the streaming music market matures, the bar is continually raised for the quality of data required, both in terms of granularity and accuracy. At MIDiA we have worked hard to earn a reputation for high-quality, reliable datasets that go far beyond what is available elsewhere.

MIDiA has just published a new report that analyses Amazon’s streaming music strategy and how this fits within the wider competitive landscape. Here are some highlights: Back in the days when online music meant online CD sales, Amazon was the king.

Soundcloud Go, Soundcloud’s initial foray into the world of premium subscriptions was never the best of fits for the Berlin based streaming upstart. Soundcloud has achieved something few others have in streaming: it has carved out a unique proposition, user base and catalogue.

Pricing has long been an issue for streaming music subscriptions, with the $/€/£ 9.99 price point above what most people spend on music each month. Streaming services have navigated around the issue with a combination of tactics such as telco bundles and aggressive price discounts (e.

We are pleased to announce the arrival of the following MIDiA report on our report store: 'Streaming Music Health Check: Streaming’s Watershed Moment'. You can purchase the report here. MIDiA Research subscription clients already have full access.

2017 is going to be a big year for streaming. Spotify will likely IPO, paid subscribers will pass the 100 million mark in Q1, playlists will boom. 2017will build upon an upbeat 2016 in which the major labels saw streaming drive total revenue growth.

Amazon announced the anticipated launch of Amazon Music Unlimited in the UK today. For my full take on Amazon Music Unlimited see my previous post here. Make no mistake, Amazon are taking this launch seriously, with a coordinated PR campaign and press release quotes not only from Amazon’s head of streaming music Steve Boom but also from Jeff Bezos himself.

Apple, Spotify and YouTube have all been grabbing the streaming headlines of late, albeit for different reasons. While these companies will continue to set the pace over the next couple of years (again, for different reasons) there is much more to the streaming market than these three.

Tuesday’s media scrum around Spotify’s financials illustrate that whatever ground Apple and Tidal may have made in recent months, Spotify clearly remains the poster child / bellwether for streaming.

Against the backdrop of the first quarterly drop in revenue in 13 years and a sharp decline in China revenue, Apple Music at least had some good news in the shape of continued solid growth for Apple Music, hitting 13 million subscribers.

We are proud to announce a landmark MIDiA report: State Of The Streaming Nation: A Comprehensive Assessment Of The Global Streaming Music Market . If you are in any way involved with the streaming music market this report is an absolute must.

2015 was a big year for streaming music but it was a bigger deal for streaming video, generating $16 billion in revenue compared to $4.5 billion for streaming music. (Both figures are retail values). The contrast between the two streaming markets is pronounced: Streaming Video: Exclusives are a standard part of video services Streaming Music: Virtually all of the same 30 million songs are available everywhere Streaming Video: Rights are fragmented across a host of TV networks and studios Streaming Music: 3 labels account for the majority of rights Streaming Video: Subscribers are just as likely to be male or female and have relatively even age distribution Streaming Music: Subscribers are predominately male and under 45 Streaming Video: Services compete on price, content proposition and functionality Streaming Music: Services largely operate within the same price point and content Streaming Video: Video services are profitable (Netflix has a 32.

As much as we may be in the era of streaming, nearly half of recorded music revenue globally is still derived from physical sales, with the CD making up the vast majority of that. So, for all the understandable focus on how YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud & co are shaping the future of the music business, the humble CD buyer remains crucial.

Korean messaging app company Kakao Corp has acquired a 76.4% stake in South Korean entertainment company Loen Entertainment for $1.6 billion , valuing the company at $2 billion. Kakao operates the mobile messaging app Kakao Talk which has around 50 million users, 39 million of which are in South Korea.