New MIDiA Research Data Shows Why Virality Is Not Building Fandom
“I hear it enough on social” is a common barrier to streaming music, particularly for 16-24 year-olds
LONDON – 16 September, 2025 – MIDiA Research, the global authority in music, creator economy and cross-entertainment insights, today published “All eyes, No ears: Why virality is not building fandom,” a new report examining the limitations of music discovery on social media and why on-platform exposure often isn’t leading to more streams or fans for artists – especially among younger consumers.
MIDiA surveyed 10,000 global consumers to learn about their music discovery habits across a variety of platforms. While social media may be adept at delivering one-off, overnight viral successes, the results reveal that music discovery through social content is less likely to lead to sustained listening or artist loyalty than the industry may hope. The trend is particularly concerning among younger generations, with consumers aged 16-24 less likely than 25-34s to stream songs or explore artist catalogs after discovery.
“The buzz around social video platforms as tools for music discovery and fan engagement often obscure a more complicated reality,” said Tatiana Cirisano, VP of Music Strategy at MIDiA Research. “In today’s zero-sum entertainment environment, social platforms increasingly compete with streaming services for listeners’ time. Viral attention around songs on social media is not converting into streams or wider artist discovery as often as the industry would hope, and particularly among the next generation of fans. It is imperative that artists and rights holders rethink their approach to cultivating lasting fan relationships – and that social platforms take care in choosing the role they wish to play in that value chain.”
Key findings in the report include:
Almost half of consumers did not stream music because they heard it on social media in the last month: This is pronounced with 16-24-year-olds, who are less likely than 25-34s to stream songs or explore artist catalogues after finding music through social media.
TikTok’s follower-to-listener conversion rate is the lowest among leading platforms: Of the 20% of consumers who followed artists on TikTok after discovering them, only 26% listened to more of that artist’s music. Of the 15% of consumers who followed artists on other social platforms after discovering them, 45% listened to more of that artist’s music. Under one-third of TikTok users have ever used its “add to music app” feature.
Social media is not where music discovery starts for most consumers: Although 87% of consumers hear music on social media, more than half say they often have already heard it elsewhere first, underlining the importance of other sources in breaking new music. Under a quarter of TikTok users have engaged with artists’ pre-release teaser content.
No single platform dominates discovery: YouTube leads music discovery, with 52% of consumers naming it among the top three main places they find new music, followed by streaming platforms (40%) and TikTok (37%).
Where music is discovered shapes engagement: The key to deeper artist engagement is what the discovery cycle starts with – the full song and artist, or simply a snippet. Almost three quarters (74%) of those who say streaming is their favourite place to discover music stream more music from an artist after discovering them, compared to 48% who say TikTok is their favourite.
There is also a silver lining. Despite the appearance that younger generations are becoming less engaged with music, more than half of 16-24-year-olds (55%) say they have become more interested in finding new music, and half say they expect their interest to grow.
The full, 30-page MIDiA report includes detailed recommendations for all players, as well as a number of country-specific case studies included that show how these trends are playing out in similar fashion around the world, including in the US, UK, Mexico, France, Japan, and Indonesia.
The full MIDiA report, “All eyes, no ears | Why virality is not building fandom”, is now available for the public here.
About MIDiA Research
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With our deep understanding of both the business and culture of entertainment, we work with entertainment companies to navigate tough industry challenges. Driven by a passion for discovering new knowledge, insights, and solutions, our team nurtures creativity and innovation to consistently deliver dependable results.
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Tsion Tadesse MIDiA Research
tsion@midiaresearch.com or press@midiaresearch.com