Reports: free Streaming

Digital music and video consumers navigate an increasingly nuanced landscape of content formats, from paywalled to ad-supported to social. Levels of engagement with new social formats vary considerably amongst weekly active users (WAUs) of three of the main music streaming services (Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Prime Music) and video streaming s...

This is part of MIDiA’s data snapshot series in which we spotlight curated consumer datasets. Figure 1: YouTube and Radio Dominate Music Consumption Key Music Consumption and Purchasing Behaviour, Q1 2018 Music consumption and spending is more diversified than ever, with traditional formats still holding on to their loyal legacy audiences, while ...

Pandora is the granddaddy of streaming music, clocking 10 million active users before Spotify had even gone into public beta. It remains the most widely used audio streaming service in the US, but is no longer the golden child of the space. Despite having been long positioned as the long-term future of radio, investors have become increasingly conc...

This report is now into its second edition, updating the most comprehensive YouTube music dataset ever compiled in order to present all sides of the argument in an objective and impartial manner. The report provides an exhaustive view of the market for revenues, ad rates, stream rates, users, streams and subscribers.

Spotify is the poster child of streaming music, having done more than any other company to grow the segment and to prove the freemium business model at scale. It has built an active user base that outshines any other freemium music service, and through tactics such as telco bundles and pricing discounts continues to squeeze every last drop of oppor...

YouTube is the music platform of choice for Millennials and Gen Z and is by far the most widely used streaming service on the planet. But YouTube and music rights holders have never been the closest of partners and intensive lobbying and counter lobbying in 2016 turned up the heat.

When YouTube first starting rising to prominence streaming music was still in its infancy. Thus even though royalty payments were far from setting the world alight, there was a clear case for YouTube views driving discovery which then led to sales. Fast forward to 2015 and digital sales are rapidly losing ground to streaming which in turn throws in...

2014 was undoubtedly streaming’s biggest year yet, growing by 39% and accounting for nearly a third of all digital revenues. But the market is a long distance yet from being in a position where it can be considered established. While free streaming, YouTube in particular, is booming, subscriptions remain confined to niche audiences.

Ever since Napster raised its head in 1999 the music industry has been fighting a rear guard action against free. BitTorrent picked up Napster’s baton and ran with it, begetting music industry’s cartoon villain The Pirate Bay. Now though free has both changed and achieved far greater scale through licensed streaming services.