The successful markets in the traditional music industry were those with highest levels of consumer spending. It was an industry biased towards North America and Europe. Part of the transformative potential of streaming is that it can monetize consumption rather than just spending, making a country’s population size as important as its spending power. Brazil is a test case for this streaming hypothesis. It has scale and demand but weaker consumer spending power than more developed markets. As is often the case with large, lower income markets the population is so big that the more affluent urban elites are sizeable enough in their own right to translate into a sizeable premium market in their own right. But the full potential of the market needs a more nuanced and innovative approach. Something that is now starting to take place with important lessons and practises for other markets to pay heed to.

Companies and brands mentioned in this report: Apple Music, Claro Musica, Deezer, Napster, Palco            Spotify, TIM, Vevo, Vivo, YouTube