Keith Jopling | MIDiA Research

The music industry obsesses over artist performance statistics – where are label performance statistics?

Blog post by Keith Jopling

10 Apr 2023

One of the watchwords in labels recently has been a focus on the ‘value proposition’ for artists, and it is easy to see why. In the streaming and social age, where independent self-releasing artists...

Greatest Hits Radio is a strategy execution masterclass for ‘old media’ incumbents

Blog post by Keith Jopling

14 Mar 2023

Media

audio

Strategy

Credit where it is due, Bauer Media’s launch and rollout of Greatest Hits Radio (GHR) is the best execution of strategy we have seen in a while by an incumbent media business. Not something you would...

The industry’s narrative is not always the same as the artist's narrative: Redefining success for independent artists

Blog post by Keith Jopling

6 Mar 2023

streaming

creator economy

Marketing

Last weekend, there was a fascinating quote from Maseo of hip hop legends De La Soul in the UK Guardian: “On our second album, we learned the importance of controlling the narrative. I learned early...

Vinyl now matters more to the music industry

Blog post by Keith Jopling

11 Oct 2022

Spotify

streaming music

Music

It is the final quarter of 2022 and almost time for Spotify Wrapped – that thrilling rush of data that knows more about your music listening habits than you do yourself. However, my Wrapped will be redundant...

Radio audiences
A window of opportunity

Report by Mark Mulligan, Keith Jopling, Tatiana Cirisano and Annie Langston

25 Sep 2022

£3,000.00 excl. VAT

audio

Business Strategy

Radio

Streaming claimed radio’s younger, music-focused audiences while podcasts are now beginning to do the same for older, spoken-word audiences. However, it is not yet determined that the impact needs to...

The Kate Bush resurgence shows that music consumption has no time stamp

Blog post by Keith Jopling

13 Jun 2022

Strategy

Spotify

streaming

There are not many good news stories at the moment. It has brightened up my summer a little, though, to see music legend Kate Bush (or ‘our Kate’ if you happen to be British) acknowledge that her song,...

Burning out and fading away: the exhausting job of marketing new music

Blog post by Keith Jopling

31 May 2022

streaming

Marketing

Online video

The recent protests by music artists about the pressures of keeping up a constant presence on social media are disconcerting in an age when many artists are struggling with mental health issues and wellbeing....

Artists survey 2022 - MIDiA asks music creators: how will you grow your audiences, earnings and career?

Blog post by Keith Jopling

8 Feb 2022

music streaming

Content Creators

creator tools

As the music industry continues to debate the many pros and cons of ‘the streaming era’ (while enjoying the unprecedented industry growth that it has brought), the spotlight can sometimes move away...

How relevant are awards in the age of Spotify Wrapped?

Blog post by Keith Jopling

12 Jan 2022

streaming

netflix

Spotify

Are awards ceremonies relevant in today's entertainment landscape? The widespread boycott by major movie stars of this year’s Golden Globes is more than a temporary protest and will lead to a major period...

MIDiA Consulting looks forward to 2022

Blog post by Keith Jopling

2 Dec 2021

streaming

Strategy

Marketing

Our Consulting Director Keith Jopling reflects on how MIDiA's consulting capability has developed over the past few years. Back when MIDiA first formed, the music industry’s future was still hanging...

Growth from Transparency
Reframing the value of music through creator rights

Cover image for Growth from Transparency

Report by Mark Mulligan, Keith Jopling, Srishti Das and Kriss Thakrar

12 Nov 2021

Free Report

creator rights

Utopia

Music

The music industry has been through an unprecedented period of change over the past five years.Innovations in live streaming, games, user-generated content (UGC), digital art, and trading of rights represent...

How should we celebrate fame in today’s music business?

Blog post by Keith Jopling

29 Apr 2021

music industry

Marketing

Music

Doom scrolling on socials is something I try to avoid, but like most 21st century humans living through the pandemic life, I occasionally fall short. Such as this weekend when scrolling through Instagram...

What does it mean to 'fix streaming'?

Blog post by Keith Jopling

19 Apr 2021

streaming

Strategy

Music

When I wrote a blog for MIDIA in January 2020 I first coined the term the “ Song Economy ”. At the time I saw it as a good thing - a major growth driver for the music industry to increase the value...

Rebalancing the Song Economy

Report by Mark Mulligan and Keith Jopling

16 Apr 2021

Free Report

Music

Introduction – Rebalancing the song economy After half a decade of streaming-driven growth the global music business hit a speed bump in the shape of the COVID-19 pandemic. Live music stopped in an instant,...

Music & Gaming
A new way to play

Report by Mark Mulligan, Karol Severin and Keith Jopling

13 Apr 2021

Free Report

Music

Games

In today’s music business, the consumer boom is rapidly leading to a creator bust. For the music industry to untangle itself from this dysfunctional loop, it needs to find new ways of monetizing fandom,...

Music marketing
Catalogue and song management

Report by Keith Jopling

26 Feb 2021

£3,000.00 excl. VAT

music marketing

insight

independent artists

The catalogue race is on Music catalogues are changing hands for serious sums of money. The race to acquire the songwriters’ share is on, and it is speeding up. However, while that race is a sprint,...

New artists, does it pay to be streaming first?

Blog post by Keith Jopling

10 Feb 2021

Strategy

Marketing

streaming music

This is part 2 of my "marketing long read" posts, part 1 focused on Catalogue . In a recent interview with Steve Lamacq, Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters told him “We don’t have anyone else making decisions...

Songs are the golden eggs in music catalogues, but who is looking after the goose?

Blog post by Keith Jopling

20 Jan 2021

Strategy

music catalogue

Marketing

Marketing Long Read Part 1: Catalogue & Song Management It will not have escaped your attention that music catalogues are changing hands for serious sums of money. The race to acquire the songwriters’...

What measures an artist's success in today's music industry?

Blog post by Keith Jopling

23 Dec 2020

Strategy

Media

streaming music

It’s that time of year again for lists. Endless top albums and song rankings that can be a bonus for a music artist to be included on. A placement on an influential list (which ones those are is more...

Post-Pandemic Programming Webinar Presentation

Report by Mark Mulligan, Tim Mulligan, Karol Severin, Alistair Taylor, Keith Jopling and Hanna Kahlert

11 Nov 2020

Free Report

Video

Music

Games

After a period of disruption to the global entertainment landscape, many businesses have found a way to adapt to the new normal, but the recession and prospect of further pandemic peaks have created an...