Kriss Thakrar | MIDiA Research

Hip hop fandom is driving the music business' future in gaming, live streaming and beyond

Blog post by Kriss Thakrar

17 Aug 2021

The music industry is at a pivot point as new ways of interacting and monetising music arise with unprecedented speed. Kanye West’s Donda live stream generating $7 million in merch sales demonstrates...

Why Spotify’s creator strategy needs to pay more attention to fans

Blog post by Kriss Thakrar

10 Aug 2021

Spotify

streaming

fandom

Spotify’s shift towards becoming an audio platform encompasses a push to become a creator-first business, with a vision of 50 million creators supplying content to a billion users. However, the company’s...

What is an artist in the age of creators?

Blog post by Kriss Thakrar

26 Jul 2021

Strategy

Marketing

YouTube

MIDiA has previously explored what it means to be a superstar in today’s industry. Here we go deeper into the fundamental of what it is to be an artist. YouTuber, boxer and rapper KSI achieved his first...

Local Sounds, Global Cultures
MENA Music Market Opportunity

Cover image for Local Sounds, Global Cultures

Report by Srishti Das and Kriss Thakrar

6 Jul 2021

Free Report

Music

Emerging market opportunity becomes reality With global music subscribers set to exceed half a billion by end 2021 and nearing saturation in developed markets, the industry focus has shifted to the next...

From creator tools to commercial tools

Blog post by Kriss Thakrar

1 Jul 2021

creator tools

live streaming

Twitch

Creator tools are taking an evolutionary step toward commercially empowering creators. Live streaming tool Happs’ recent $4.7 million investment is a relatively small yet significant bet that the future...

The opportunity behind the Roblox lawsuit

Blog post by Kriss Thakrar

14 Jun 2021

Roblox

music piracy

gaming

Three months ago, MIDiA reported on the role of the Boombox in Roblox and the potential of the unique (and unlicensed) behaviour that was emerging around it. Subsequently, the National Music Publishers...

Live streamed concert demand
Ready for prime time

Cover image for Live streamed concert demand

Report by Mark Mulligan, Karol Severin and Kriss Thakrar

21 May 2021

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live streamed concerts

live stream concerts

virtual concerts

Virtual concerts went from zero to a hundred at an unprecedented rate during the pandemic-shaped 2020, and the momentum carried through to 2021. But if lockdown years are like dog years, then so too the...

Creator culture
The song becomes the feed

Report by Mark Mulligan and Kriss Thakrar

26 Apr 2021

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creators

Music creators

creator tools

The creator tools marketplace is creating a revolution in the culture and business of music. The third decade of the millennium represents the opening of a new chapter for the music business, with the...

The social studio will empower the next million producers

Blog post by Kriss Thakrar

23 Apr 2021

creator tools

Social Studio

social media

MIDiA recently explored the concept of the social studio and the more sophisticated tools for creation that are being embedded in social media platforms. It did not take long for this to go from concept...

Social media is becoming a social studio

Blog post by Kriss Thakrar

13 Apr 2021

creator tools

social media

TikTok

Social media platforms have spent the past decade redefining what it means to be a visual creator. They are now on the cusp of doing the same with music. TikTok has announced a wave of new features , including...

How Amazon could enhance its NFL coverage with virtual concert experiences

Blog post by Kriss Thakrar

30 Mar 2021

SVOD

Amazon Prime

NFL

Amazon Prime has acquired the exclusive Thursday Night Football (TNF) rights to 15 NFL games, marking a new era for the world’s most valuable sports league. This shift is a giant step towards the normalisation...

Addison Rae will not be owned: The pitfalls of the major label business model

Blog post by Kriss Thakrar

25 Mar 2021

Major labels

TikTok

independent artists

TikTok stars are rejecting major labels. It is no secret that major labels are being outpaced by independent artists in the overall market. Addison Rae has a combined following of over 100 million between...

Roblox, piracy and the future of music in UGC 2.0

Blog post by Kriss Thakrar

19 Mar 2021

user generated content

music piracy

Roblox

A community of Roblox users are losing a battle against moderation as the platform cracks down on music piracy, due to the platform’s newly public status bringing with it a new level of responsibility....