Most Streamed Versus All Time Sellers The Internationalisation Myth

The 20,000 Foot View:  As the music industry becomes a streaming industry in all but name, Spotify’s            most streamed tracks provide a window into how the overall industry has changed since the advent of access over ownership. Although arguably just a snapshot of an era, a comparison between the two reveals recent trends within music pertaining to genre popularity and collaborative efforts versus solo releases. It also serves as a reflection of how far the internationalisation effect of streaming is influencing the superstar effect — those outlier songs that take over the entire platform.

Key Findings

• There is            difference between the pre-streaming and            era distribution of the best            tracks by artist nationality 
• Playlist growth            consumption means new releases are            emphasised on Spotify’s platform
• Free streaming            penetration averaged            across some of            world’s most developed recorded markets            UK, Canada, Australia) in            2017
• Paid streaming            was           
           of the top            most streamed Spotify tracks were by, or featured, an artist from the US, Canada or the UK
• Playlist growth            in major music markets in           
           of Spotify’s most streamed tracks featured more than one artist, with            being from solo acts or groups
• Pop has            largest share of the most            tracks, with            of the total,            dance genres collectively account for           
• Hip-hop is            well represented, with            of the            streamed, while rock now accounts            just           
• Streaming skews            the new as            of the            streamed tracks were released in            prior three years
• Streaming has            the music business model from            of reach to engagement
• Playlists are            a hits dichotomy: superstar hits            bigger than ever and other            are over-boosted in the short            before quickly disappearing

Companies and brands mentioned in this report: Ableton Live, Apple, Apple Music, DatPiff, Deezer, Logic Studio, Soundcloud, Spotify, Universal Music