One Billion-Plus YouTube Music Videos Latin Takeover

The 20,000 Foot View:  While rightsholders and YouTube fought a bitter war of words around Article            in 2018, the platform further underscored its importance for creating global superstars. With audiences fragmenting into algorithmically defined niches, YouTube and Vevo continue to create truly global scale audiences. Perhaps most significantly, YouTube is fast establishing itself as the consumption method of choice for Latin American audiences, and their listening behaviour is helping reshape the face of global music culture.

Key Findings

• A record            videos reached one billion streams            2018, up from            in 2017                       in 2016
• Music videos            in 2018 that reached one            views took just            days to            so, more than ten times            than those released ten years           
• YouTube’s overall            is growing but it has            made music more central, increasing            music recommendations efforts 
• Prior to            the average number of songs            each year to register one            streams was just eight; between            number had risen to           
• Hip hop’s            domination does not translate to            making up just            of the            billion-plus videos
• Pop acts            more one-billion-view videos than any            genre of artist, with            of            one billion-plus videos
• However, Latin            videos will soon lead the            rankings, already accounting for            of            billion-plus videos released in 2018
• Just            of            billion-plus videos are by rock            and none have registered since            in 2007 rock accounted for            of all the one billion-plus            released that year
• Looking at            share of all views generated            one billion-plus video views, Latin            grew from            in 2012 to            2018
• Pop is            traction. One billion-plus pop videos            2016 generated            billion views, but            2017 this had fallen to           
• Latin music            are getting to one billion            faster than ever while the            has slowed for pop
• Fan engagement            growing: the number of streams            like for one billion-plus videos            from a high of            in            to just            in 2018
• Puerta Rican            and Latin trap artist Ozuna            the most one billion-plus YouTube            with eight, totalling            billion streams 
• Record labels            to take a more nuanced            to reading global scale data            global scale does not always            global appeal

Companies and brands mentioned in this report: Apple Music, Luis Fonsi, Maluma, Nicki Minaj, Ozuna, Spotify, Vevo, YouTube