Music blog by MIDiA Research

Blog: Music

Read our latest daily deep dives, hot takes, and exciting updates about the digital entertainment world. Check out the latest from your favourite analyst, or search by coverage - games, video, music, audio, social, or critical developments.

Anti-algorithm, anti-perfection - the rise of a music counter-culture

Mark Mulligan

20 Dec 2024

Today’s music landscape is one defined by abundance and immediacy. In today’s chronically-online world, everything is over-ground, immediately. Scenes have to work really hard to be underground and...

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RIIZE: When listening to superfans goes too far

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Olivia Jones

19 Dec 2024

SM Entertainment

Many record labels have spent 2024 trying to capitalise on the power of superfans , inspired by the global success of Korean entertainment companies. However, the recent scandal involving Seunghan, a member...

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Overanalysing our Spotify Wrapped: what MIDiA’s stats say about the industry

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Tatiana Cirisano

12 Dec 2024

Spotify Wrapped

Audience Insight

Last year, as Spotify’s annual Wrapped series hit the internet, MIDiA did what we do best: analyse, publishing a blog piece on what our own year-end data reflects about the state of music streaming and...

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What happens to music when fan-made content eclipses the original IP?

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Tatiana Cirisano

5 Dec 2024

Last week, MIDiA’s Ben Woods delivered a message to the entertainment industry: nurture fandom or risk losing control of your IP . For years, the way in which consumers engage with their favourite artists,...

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What HYBE and UMG’s Q3 earnings tell us about superfans

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Olivia Jones

3 Dec 2024

Universal Music Group

“Superfan” has been this year’s buzzword in the music industry. From Universal Music Group (UMG) setting its superfan agenda at the start of the year to Warner Music Group announcing its plans for...

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It’s social’s stage now: MIDiA’s 2025 predictions webinar

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Mark Mulligan

28 Nov 2024

2025 predictions

One of my favourite parts of the MIDiA year is creating the MIDiA predictions report and webinar. It is always a true team effort, with our team of analysts spending weeks brainstorming ideas, proposing...

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Content creators are disrupting entertainment’s obsession with rights. What does it mean for music?

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Tatiana Cirisano

21 Nov 2024

Last week, Spotify announced a suite of new monetisation features for video creators. Yes, you read that right — Spotify has expanded not just beyond music, but also beyond audio itself. Although the...

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Hold or twist? The music industry’s innovation dilemma

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Mark Mulligan

20 Nov 2024

streaming growth

As Clayton Christensen identified in The Innovator’s Dilemma, there are two types of innovation: sustaining innovation and disruptive innovation. Sustaining innovation is what companies do to enhance...

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Q3 streaming trends: Why Spotify’s growth in the Global South matters for the music industry

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Tatiana Cirisano

14 Nov 2024

For much of 2024, music industry discourse centred around Spotify’s content mix. The growing long-tail of artists and songs on the platform is what fueled Universal Music Group’s two-tiered royalty...

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Nintendo’s music app underlines its cross-entertainment future

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Rhys Elliott

8 Nov 2024

Business Strategy

Nintendo is at the forefront of the cross-entertainment trend. Alongside console games and hardware, Nintendo’s strategy spans theme parks, Hollywood (including the billion-dollar-grossing Super Mario...

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Two future paths for the vinyl revival

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Tatiana Cirisano

31 Oct 2024

monetising fandom

The vinyl resurgence is among the top music industry narratives of the past few years, especially given the recent focus on monetising fandom. The elephant in the room is the question of how long this...

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State of the independent music economy: Fragmentation AND consolidation

Mark Mulligan

31 Oct 2024

label market shares

independent labels

MIDiA is excited to announce our latest report “ State of the independent music economy: Fragmentation AND consolidation”. It represents the most extensive piece of research we have ever done. Through...

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How big can music merch get? MIDiA’s latest report charts the course to $16B by 2030

Cover image for How big can music merch get? MIDiA’s latest report charts the course to $16B by 2030

Tatiana Cirisano

24 Oct 2024

music merchandise

monetising fandom

Over the weekend, Billie Eilish launched a pop-up merchandise shop in SoHo, New York, where fans could choose from items like a $20 pair of shoelaces, $30 belt, $30 necktie, and $60 necklace. Partnered...

min read

Brazil climbs the global top 10: a new era for the music market

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Leo Morel

3 Oct 2024

brazil music market

Music Streaming

In recent years, Brazil’s music market has transformed, echoing the nation’s broader economic and cultural dynamics. After facing a severe economic crisis that began in 2017, Brazil is now experiencing...

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Brasil ingressa no top 10 global: uma nova era para o mercado brasileiro de música

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Leo Morel

3 Oct 2024

brazil music market

Music Streaming

O mercado musical brasileiro se desenvolveu significativamente nos últimos anos em decorrência de uma ampla dinâmica econômica, cultural e tecnológica no país. Depois de enfrentar uma grave crise...

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Welcome to the post-feature world

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Tatiana Cirisano

26 Sep 2024

artist services

music distribution

During the first two decades of the 21st century, companies in most industries competed on features and user interface. Snapchat was once the only social app with Stories, and the iPhone used to sit alongside...

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Music creator economy: recalibration

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Mark Mulligan

26 Sep 2024

Creator Economy

music creator tools

The music creator economy has been long in the making but was thrust into the wider music industry’s limelight with the Covid lockdowns triggering a surge in new creators. As with any bubble, many creator...

min read

Will more artists release full songs to social media in 2025?

Cover image for Will more artists release full songs to social media in 2025?

Tatiana Cirisano

19 Sep 2024

Music Streaming

It is now a standard part of most music rollouts to release a clip of the song on social video platforms before it hits streaming. This makes sense when you think of social media as a marketing tool. But...

min read

Q2 2024 music market metrics: bifurcation is here

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Mark Mulligan

19 Sep 2024

Music Streaming

There are so many music industry metrics and financial results flying around these days that it can be difficult to keep up with them all. Don’t worry, we’ve got you. MIDiA has just published the first...

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Streaming’s growth plan in the connection economy

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Kriss Thakrar

18 Sep 2024

Music Streaming

Streaming clubs

During Universal’s Capital Markets Day, Universal Music Group (UMG) chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge cited some “fundamental facts” of the music business (per Music Business Worldwide ). These include...

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