Most Streamed Versus All Time Sellers The Internationalisation Myth

Our clients have full access to all of our reports. Clients can log in to read this report. Click here to become a client. Alternatively, you can purchase this individual report.
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