Spotify Reports from MIDiA Research

Independent label market shares
Up on all counts

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Mark Mulligan

October 2021

This report presents record label market share that is measured not just by label reported revenues, but also by separating the revenues of independent labels that are distributed by major label groups,...

Games discovery and conversion
Navigating between generations in the 2020s

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Karol Severin

September 2021

Spotify

YouTube

digital natives

The 2020s population is split between digital natives and older digital migrants, which shapes how consumers discover and convert to new games. Younger consumers are more likely to discover via channels...

From social media to creator tools
The evolution of UGC

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Hanna Kahlert

September 2021

Apple

Spotify

YouTube

Entertainment is suffering intense competition as audience attention time, already saturated before the pandemic, is hit by the gradual return of ‘in real life’ activities. A flurry of new propositions...

Music creator tools forecast
Moving towards a hybrid future

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Mark Mulligan

September 2021

Creators

Apple

Spotify

Once upon a time, music software and hardware were distinct market segments, but now they are increasingly fusing into a network of hybrid creator tools ecosystems. Standalone hardware still has a vibrant...

Creator hubs
Creator tools’ next growth driver

Mark Mulligan and Kriss Thakrar

September 2021

Creators

Spotify

Artists

The emerging competitive dynamic between insurgents and incumbents is the catalyst for an unprecedented period of innovation in the music creator tools space. However, because this dynamic is underpinned...

Spotify Q2 2021 earnings
Slowdown arrives

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Mark Mulligan

August 2021

Streaming

Music Subscriptions

Spotify

The growth headwinds that appeared in Q1 2021 manifested in a pronounced user growth slowdown in Q2, with ad-supported users hit hardest. Spotify has been through lean growth periods before, but what is...

The changing context of consumption
Emerging consumer trends in a re-saturated attention economy

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Hanna Kahlert

July 2021

Spotify

Amazon

Netflix

Rampant attention competition has driven changes in entertainment consumption itself, exacerbated by the last year’s attention boom. Quality of attention and quantity of attention are increasingly differentiated,...

Music consumer survey Q1 2021
YouTube extends its reach

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Mark Mulligan

July 2021

Spotify

YouTube

Deezer

The data in this report is taken from MIDiA’s Q1 2021 consumer survey. The full data from this survey and all the preceding quarterly surveys are available, along with data visualisation tools and dynamic...

Ad strategy in a digital-first environment
Rethinking acceptance, tolerance and effectiveness

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Hanna Kahlert

June 2021

Spotify

YouTube

SoundCloud

Digital-first behaviours and the proliferation of choice have caused underlying changes to how consumers perceive and respond to brands. Brand loyalty has been replaced by content fandom. Frictionless...

Spotify Q1 2021 earnings
Shifting headwinds

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Mark Mulligan

May 2021

Spotify

YouTube

Deezer

The first quarter of the year is usually a slow one for Spotify, but Q1 2021 saw a few metrics slowing more than in previous years. There were lots of solid performance metrics in Spotify’s results and...

Live streamed concert demand
Ready for prime time

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Mark Mulligan, Karol Severin and Kriss Thakrar

May 2021

Spotify

live music

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...

Podcast audiences
Competing for attention

Mark Mulligan

May 2021

US

UK

France

2020 was a big year for podcasts, with increased investment, M&A activity and industry moves. Audiences grew too, but still lag behind in hype and expectation, and a portion of this growth has come...

Creator culture
The song becomes the feed

Mark Mulligan and Kriss Thakrar

April 2021

Creators

Spotify

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...

Spotify Q4 2020 earnings
ARPU pays the price for growth

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Mark Mulligan

February 2021

Subscriptions

Streaming

Streaming Music

In 2020 Spotify accelerated the growth of its total user base, with emerging markets playing a key role. However, revenue increases became decoupled from user growth across all categories, resulting in...

Media consumption
Lockdown’s attention boom

Mark Mulligan

February 2021

Consumer behaviour

Spotify

2020 was a year like no other. With large swathes of the population confined to their homes for portions of the year, audiences had more time on their hands and more money in their pockets. These conditions...

Sports audiences
The Gen Z opportunity

Alistair Taylor

February 2021

Apple

Spotify

Digital natives are more likely to consume non-live sports than older, traditional sports fans, which presents rights holders and broadcasters with untapped potential for monetisation by harnessing and...

Music and Games Partnership Strategy
Beyond the Comfort Zone

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Karol Severin

January 2021

Apple

Spotify

Music companies are flocking to explore partnerships with games companies. Seeking a foothold in a fast-growing market, music companies are often looking for easy wins that fit traditional licensing models...

Music Product Strategy Re-boot
Time to Monetise Fandom, Not Access

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Mark Mulligan

January 2021

Innovation

Spotify

As streaming reaches maturity in many of the largest music markets and middle-tier artists struggle to make ends meet with the live music hiatus, the time has come for a music product strategy re-boot...

Sports Rights
The Great Reset

Alistair Taylor

December 2020

Spotify

Video

COVID-19 exposed live entertainment as a vulnerable asset class during a global health crisis, rendering services overly reliant on live sports broadcasts as primary churn candidates. A major overhaul...

Cultural Trends in 2021
Navigating a New Normal

Hanna Kahlert

December 2020

Apple

Spotify

Behaviours under coronavirus-driven lockdowns accelerated underlying digital consumption trends. Remote working and ongoing restrictions mean streaming behaviour is up across formats and demographics at...

Reports: Spotify