"The content glut keeps getting worse, not better, and this is now a very serious challenge for artists of all levels. Because even musicians that make incredible music are finding themselves drowned, undiscovered, and frustrated by statistics like these.
"We now have a catalog of over 28 million songs and 45,000 movies..."
Apple chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer during the company's quarterly earnings call on Tuesday."
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Monday, April 30, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Ringtones generated more revenues than music streaming services in the US in 2011
"Technology simply moves faster than consumers, and older formats die hard. Which is why ringtones still accounted for $277.4 million in revenues last year - in the US alone - according to stats just released by the RIAA. That compares to $241.0 million in revenues from the likes of Spotify, Rdio, Rhapsody, MOG, and ilk, combined."
Source: DigitalMusicNews, 3rd April 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
The top 10 music downloads & radio plays in Europe in 2011
"Top ten downloads in Europe 2011:
1. Adele – Someone Like You
2. Adele – Rolling In The Deep
3. Alexandra Stan – Mr Saxobeat
4. Adele – Set Fire To The Rain
5. Example – Changed The Way You Kiss Me
6. DJ Antoine vs Timati feat Kalenna – Welcome To St Tropez
7. Duck Sauce – Barbra Streisand
8. Adele – Make You Feel My Love
9. Caro Emerald – A Night Like This
10. Tiesto vs Diplo – C’mon (Catch Em By Surprise)
Top ten radio airplay in Europe 2011:
1. Adele – Rolling In The Deep
2. Adele – Set Fire To The Rain
3. Alexandra Stan – Mr Saxobeat
4. Adele – Someone Like You
5. Caro Emerald – A Night Like This
6. Duck Sauce – Barbra Streisand
7. Example – Changed The Way You Kiss Me
8. Inna – Sun Is Up
9. DJ Antoine vs Timati feat Kalenna – Welcome To St Tropez
10. Alexandra Stan – Get Back"
1. Adele – Someone Like You
2. Adele – Rolling In The Deep
3. Alexandra Stan – Mr Saxobeat
4. Adele – Set Fire To The Rain
5. Example – Changed The Way You Kiss Me
6. DJ Antoine vs Timati feat Kalenna – Welcome To St Tropez
7. Duck Sauce – Barbra Streisand
8. Adele – Make You Feel My Love
9. Caro Emerald – A Night Like This
10. Tiesto vs Diplo – C’mon (Catch Em By Surprise)
Top ten radio airplay in Europe 2011:
1. Adele – Rolling In The Deep
2. Adele – Set Fire To The Rain
3. Alexandra Stan – Mr Saxobeat
4. Adele – Someone Like You
5. Caro Emerald – A Night Like This
6. Duck Sauce – Barbra Streisand
7. Example – Changed The Way You Kiss Me
8. Inna – Sun Is Up
9. DJ Antoine vs Timati feat Kalenna – Welcome To St Tropez
10. Alexandra Stan – Get Back"
Source: Chart by IMPALA, reported by CMU, 8th March 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
78m Americans bought CDs in 2011
"According to an annual study of the consumer music market in the U.S. by The NPD Group, a leading market research company, growth in the music market can be traced to an increasing number of CD and digital download buyers, and an increase in the total amount that consumers are spending for music. After years of decline, driven by sharply falling CD sales and maturing digital download market, total music-track sales rose 4 percent during 2011. Although CD sales dipped, the decline was not nearly as severe as in the past, and the drop was offset by a healthy paid-music download market.
Based on the findings of NPD’s “Annual Music Study,” after years of losing buyers, caused by many consumers who simply stopped buying music, the total number of CD buyers increased for the second consecutive year, growing 2 percent to 78 million. There were a variety of reasons consumers cited for purchasing more CDs, including a perceived improvement in the quality and value of the music available, and a greater ability to learn about music prior to purchase. Consumers also now have a wider variety of sources to discover new music -- from traditional AM/FM radio and online services like Pandora, Rhapsody, and Spotify. Even as Apple’s iTunes approaches its tenth anniversary next year, there are still nearly twice as many CD buyers in the U.S. as there are paid digital-music downloaders."
Based on the findings of NPD’s “Annual Music Study,” after years of losing buyers, caused by many consumers who simply stopped buying music, the total number of CD buyers increased for the second consecutive year, growing 2 percent to 78 million. There were a variety of reasons consumers cited for purchasing more CDs, including a perceived improvement in the quality and value of the music available, and a greater ability to learn about music prior to purchase. Consumers also now have a wider variety of sources to discover new music -- from traditional AM/FM radio and online services like Pandora, Rhapsody, and Spotify. Even as Apple’s iTunes approaches its tenth anniversary next year, there are still nearly twice as many CD buyers in the U.S. as there are paid digital-music downloaders."
Source: Press release from NPD, 6th March 2012
Adele's mobile app has been downloaded 1.5m times
"Adele is closing in on 20m sales of her album 21, but the British singer has also been a big hit on Apple and Google's app stores.
The official Adele app has been downloaded more than 1.5m times on iPhone and Android, according to David Emery, head of marketing at Beggars Group, the parent company of Adele's label XL Recordings.
[...]
In terms of features, Adele's app is fairly standard – news, photos, videos, song previews and tour dates, as well as a social section for comments and photo postings.
Emery says the aim was less about selling more music and tickets, than to provide "another communication platform" for Adele's fans, sitting alongside her own website, Facebook and Twitter."
The official Adele app has been downloaded more than 1.5m times on iPhone and Android, according to David Emery, head of marketing at Beggars Group, the parent company of Adele's label XL Recordings.
[...]
In terms of features, Adele's app is fairly standard – news, photos, videos, song previews and tour dates, as well as a social section for comments and photo postings.
Emery says the aim was less about selling more music and tickets, than to provide "another communication platform" for Adele's fans, sitting alongside her own website, Facebook and Twitter."
Source: The Guardian, 7th March 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Digital music sales account for more than 1/3/ of UK recorded music turnover
"The 2011 digital income of British record companies grew even faster than in 2010, as new trade figures released today by the BPI confirmed that UK recording industry revenues were resilient last year despite challenging economic conditions.
Trade income from digital music increased by a quarter (24.7%) to £281.6m during 2011, with digital growth now offsetting two-thirds of the decline in income from sales of physical music product.
Total digital music income – earnings from online downloads, subscriptions, ad-supported services and mobile – now accounts for more than a third (35.4%) of UK recorded music turnover, up from 27.4% in 2010.
Geoff Taylor, BPI Chief Executive, said, “It is highly encouraging for the long-term prospects of the industry that the pace of digital growth continues to accelerate. British labels are supporting a wide range of innovative music services and music fans are embracing digital like never before.
[...]
Revenue from digital albums grew strongly in 2011 and is now almost at the same level as digital single tracks. Digital albums generated £117.8m in trade income – up 43.2% on 2010’s year-end result of £82.2m. Earnings from digital single tracks rose 11.3% to £120.5m in 2011, compared to £108.3m in 2010.
The income from subscription digital music services also grew by an impressive 47.5% during 2011, with services such as Spotify Premium, Napster, We7 and eMusic generating significant trade income of £24.0m. Advertising supported, free digital services – including Spotify, YouTube, We7 and last.fm – earned £10.7m for UK record companies in 2011, dipping 1.4% year-on-year.
Total trade income from physical formats – albums, singles and music video - fell by 14.1% overall in 2011, with revenues dropping for the eighth year in a row to £513.8m from 2010’s total of £598.0m. The 2011 market for physical albums dropped 14.4% to £484.7m compared to £566.4m the year before."
Trade income from digital music increased by a quarter (24.7%) to £281.6m during 2011, with digital growth now offsetting two-thirds of the decline in income from sales of physical music product.
Total digital music income – earnings from online downloads, subscriptions, ad-supported services and mobile – now accounts for more than a third (35.4%) of UK recorded music turnover, up from 27.4% in 2010.
Geoff Taylor, BPI Chief Executive, said, “It is highly encouraging for the long-term prospects of the industry that the pace of digital growth continues to accelerate. British labels are supporting a wide range of innovative music services and music fans are embracing digital like never before.
[...]
Revenue from digital albums grew strongly in 2011 and is now almost at the same level as digital single tracks. Digital albums generated £117.8m in trade income – up 43.2% on 2010’s year-end result of £82.2m. Earnings from digital single tracks rose 11.3% to £120.5m in 2011, compared to £108.3m in 2010.
The income from subscription digital music services also grew by an impressive 47.5% during 2011, with services such as Spotify Premium, Napster, We7 and eMusic generating significant trade income of £24.0m. Advertising supported, free digital services – including Spotify, YouTube, We7 and last.fm – earned £10.7m for UK record companies in 2011, dipping 1.4% year-on-year.
Total trade income from physical formats – albums, singles and music video - fell by 14.1% overall in 2011, with revenues dropping for the eighth year in a row to £513.8m from 2010’s total of £598.0m. The 2011 market for physical albums dropped 14.4% to £484.7m compared to £566.4m the year before."
Source: Press release from the BPI, 16th February 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
Spotify has 3m paying subscribers
"Music subscription services may prove to be the saving grace for the recording industry. Three million people are now actively tuning in to Spotify, the song streaming platform once criticized for paying paltry royalties to record labels. Spotify has gained a million users since September, largely due to getting plugged into Facebook's social sharing."
Source: Rolling Stone, 27th January 2012
Earlier - 2.5m in November
Source: Rolling Stone, 27th January 2012
Earlier - 2.5m in November
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
The number of people subscribing to legal music streaming services rose by 65% in 2011
"The number of consumers subscribing to legal music streaming services globally increased by nearly 65 per cent in 2011, according to new IFPI estimates.
Paying subscribers of streaming services hit 13.4 million in the year, according to the IFPI’s new Digital Music Report 2012 – up from 8.2 million in 2010.
Spotify reports it has 2.5 million paying subscribers worldwide, including over 400,000 in the US market since its launch there in July - and that it sees its expansion in the US as a springboard to international markets.
Ken Parks, chief content officer, says: “We were very focused on how Spotify, which had been a European service, would translate to the US. Now, having seen the acceptance in the biggest music market, it gives us a huge degree of confidence and optimism to expand elsewhere.”
Subscription streaming services have caught on "exceptionally well" in certain markets, says the report, particularly in Scandinavia.
In Sweden, says the report, subscription accounted for 84 per cent of digital revenues in the first 11 months of 2011, boosted by its national champion Spotify. Other markets saw sharp growth in subscription revenues, including France which saw an increase of more than 90 per cent in the first 11 months of 2011 (SNEP)."
Source: Data from the IFPI's Digital Music Report 2012, reported by Music Week, 23rd January 2012
See the full report here
Paying subscribers of streaming services hit 13.4 million in the year, according to the IFPI’s new Digital Music Report 2012 – up from 8.2 million in 2010.
Spotify reports it has 2.5 million paying subscribers worldwide, including over 400,000 in the US market since its launch there in July - and that it sees its expansion in the US as a springboard to international markets.
Ken Parks, chief content officer, says: “We were very focused on how Spotify, which had been a European service, would translate to the US. Now, having seen the acceptance in the biggest music market, it gives us a huge degree of confidence and optimism to expand elsewhere.”
Subscription streaming services have caught on "exceptionally well" in certain markets, says the report, particularly in Scandinavia.
In Sweden, says the report, subscription accounted for 84 per cent of digital revenues in the first 11 months of 2011, boosted by its national champion Spotify. Other markets saw sharp growth in subscription revenues, including France which saw an increase of more than 90 per cent in the first 11 months of 2011 (SNEP)."
Source: Data from the IFPI's Digital Music Report 2012, reported by Music Week, 23rd January 2012
See the full report here
Monday, January 16, 2012
KickStarter funded nearly 12,000 projects in 2011
"Let’s look at some statistics for 2011:
Launched Projects: 27,086
Successful Projects: 11,836
Dollars Pledged: $99,344,382
Rewards Selected: 1,150,461
Total Visitors: 30,590,342
Project Success Rate: 46%
Here’s 2010:
Launched Projects: 11,130
Successful Projects: 3,910
Dollars Pledged: $27,638,318
Rewards Selected: 322,526
Total Visitors: 8,294,183
Project Success Rate: 43%
Total pledges were just shy of $100 million in 2011. More than one million rewards were selected, nearly quadruple the year before. Approximately 1,000 projects were successfully funded each month. In fact, more projects succeeded in 2011 than launched in 2010."
Source: KickStarter blog, 9th January 2012
Launched Projects: 27,086
Successful Projects: 11,836
Dollars Pledged: $99,344,382
Rewards Selected: 1,150,461
Total Visitors: 30,590,342
Project Success Rate: 46%
Here’s 2010:
Launched Projects: 11,130
Successful Projects: 3,910
Dollars Pledged: $27,638,318
Rewards Selected: 322,526
Total Visitors: 8,294,183
Project Success Rate: 43%
Total pledges were just shy of $100 million in 2011. More than one million rewards were selected, nearly quadruple the year before. Approximately 1,000 projects were successfully funded each month. In fact, more projects succeeded in 2011 than launched in 2010."
Source: KickStarter blog, 9th January 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Less than 2% of albums released in the US in 2011 accounted for nearly 90% of new album sales
"In 2011, 76,875 albums were released and sold at least one copy in the US, according to stats shared by Nielsen Soundscan. These releases came from major and indie labels, as well as unsigned artists, as long as they were properly registered and set up with identifiers like UPC barcodes.
That group of 76,875 albums collectively went on to sell about 113 million copies in the US.
Of that total, sales of roughly 100 million, or 88.5%, came from just 1,500 releases, or 1.9% of the release total.
Which means that, roughly speaking, 2% of releases accounted for 90% of new release sales."
Source: DigitalMusicNews, 12th January 2012
That group of 76,875 albums collectively went on to sell about 113 million copies in the US.
Of that total, sales of roughly 100 million, or 88.5%, came from just 1,500 releases, or 1.9% of the release total.
Which means that, roughly speaking, 2% of releases accounted for 90% of new release sales."
Source: DigitalMusicNews, 12th January 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Louis CK made over $1m through a direct-to-fan comedy download
"Sean Parker wonders why any artist would sign with a major label these days. But maybe the better question is why any established artist would do the same. Just outside of the music sphere, the latest direct-to-fan feat comes from Louis C.K., who just grossed $1 million on his self-released stand-up download, Live at the Beacon Theater. "Yesterday we made a million bucks," C.K. told Jimmy Fallon.
And it's just been happening, just like that. "It just goes into my phone like 'bling,' it's crazy. I've never had one million dollars all at once," C.K. described. And C.K. didn't have to share a gigantic percentage with a major media company, but he is sharing the proceeds with various charities while rewarding staff with Christmas bonuses. Production costs, which came out of C.K.'s wallet, were around $250,000 and easily covered.
If you're just tuning into this one, C.K. recently positioned Live at the Beacon Theater for $5, directly to fans. The download was straight from his site via Paypal, and totally financed by the comedian. "They said everyone was going to steal it, so I just wrote a note that said, 'please don't do that,'" C.K. joked. But seriously, at least 220,000 people (and counting) opted for the low-priced, legal alternative."
And it's just been happening, just like that. "It just goes into my phone like 'bling,' it's crazy. I've never had one million dollars all at once," C.K. described. And C.K. didn't have to share a gigantic percentage with a major media company, but he is sharing the proceeds with various charities while rewarding staff with Christmas bonuses. Production costs, which came out of C.K.'s wallet, were around $250,000 and easily covered.
If you're just tuning into this one, C.K. recently positioned Live at the Beacon Theater for $5, directly to fans. The download was straight from his site via Paypal, and totally financed by the comedian. "They said everyone was going to steal it, so I just wrote a note that said, 'please don't do that,'" C.K. joked. But seriously, at least 220,000 people (and counting) opted for the low-priced, legal alternative."
See the download page here
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Music sales platform Bandcamp sold over $1m in music & merchandise for artists in December 2011
"In the month of December alone, Bandcamp artists raked in more than one million dollars in music and merch sales (bringing the total to-date to $12.6MM).
22% of those sales happened because of Bandcamp, driven by things like tags, the home page, recommendations, and search.
40% of the time, fans pay more than the asking price for name-your-price albums.
53% of all purchases are made by fans located outside the U.S."
22% of those sales happened because of Bandcamp, driven by things like tags, the home page, recommendations, and search.
40% of the time, fans pay more than the asking price for name-your-price albums.
53% of all purchases are made by fans located outside the U.S."
Source: Blog post from Bandcamp, 3rd January 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
CDs account for 76% of album sales in the UK
"While sales may be on the wane – and illegal downloading on the rise – CDs remain the nation's favoured format, accounting for 76.1% of total sales last year, compared with a 23.5% market share for digital and 0.3% for vinyl."
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
40% of tickets on Live Nation go unsold
"Can data really solve this mess? The 40 percent figure was first revealed by Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino last year, in the chambers of Congress of all places. And now, it's part of a freshly-published research report that focuses on a pressing cheap seats problem. Because it's not that Live Nation doesn't want to fill every seat in every house, they just don't know how."
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
The Top 10 Trending Topics on Twitter in 2011
Click to enlarge
Source: Data from HootSuite, published by AdAge, 6th December 2011
Note - the dates for the analysis are 30th November 2010 - 1st December 2011
Plus - Twitter's official 'Hot Topics' although they're not saying how they compiled the list, so I suspect some editing may have gone on.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Spotify is the second single largest source of digital music revenue for labels in Europe
"Artists can — and do — receive very substantial revenues from Spotify, and as Spotify grows, these revenue streams will naturally continue to grow. Spotify is now the second single largest source of digital music revenue for labels in Europe (IFPI, April 2011) and we’ve driven more than $150 million of revenue to rights holders (ie whoever owns the music, be it artists, publishers or labels) since our launch three years ago.”"
Source: Statement from Spotify, quoted in Wired, 18th November 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Spotify has 2.5m paying subscribers
"This week is Thanksgiving in the US. And we’ve got our own reasons to give thanks too.
Fanfare! Drum roll! Yes, we’re excited to announce that we’ve now welcomed 2.5 million paying subscribers to the service.
So we’d like to say a big thank you to all our subscribers, new and old. Keep spreading the good news about Spotify!
Of course, we’ll continue to focus on providing you with the best music service possible. We’ve got some exciting developments in the works, which we’ll share with you very soon."
Fanfare! Drum roll! Yes, we’re excited to announce that we’ve now welcomed 2.5 million paying subscribers to the service.
So we’d like to say a big thank you to all our subscribers, new and old. Keep spreading the good news about Spotify!
Of course, we’ll continue to focus on providing you with the best music service possible. We’ve got some exciting developments in the works, which we’ll share with you very soon."
Earlier - 2m subscribers announced in September
Earlier - 1.5m subscribers announced in August
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Sting's iPad app cost over $1m to produce
"Earlier this week, we reported on the launch of Sting 25, an iPad app celebrating Sting’s solo career. But how much did it cost to make? More than one million dollars. This is according to the Wall Street Journal.
“Having recently released a 25th anniversary Sting box set, the singer’s label, Universal Music Group, and publisher, EMI, say they eagerly supported the app as a high-tech showcase for Sting’s catalog,” explains the newspaper.
“The music companies offered up the copyright clearances required, but didn’t chip in on the production budget. Those costs, in the low seven figures, were primarily covered by sponsors American Express and Chevrolet.”"
“Having recently released a 25th anniversary Sting box set, the singer’s label, Universal Music Group, and publisher, EMI, say they eagerly supported the app as a high-tech showcase for Sting’s catalog,” explains the newspaper.
“The music companies offered up the copyright clearances required, but didn’t chip in on the production budget. Those costs, in the low seven figures, were primarily covered by sponsors American Express and Chevrolet.”"
Source: The AppSide, 15th November 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Digital sales account for 26% of all UK album sales
"Sales of digital albums have already smashed the 2010 record, selling 21.3 million copies, two months ahead of the year end, new Official Charts Company data released by BPI reveals today.
The news follows the success of Coldplay’s hotly anticipated new album, Mylo Xyloto, which sold more than 80,000 digital copies in week one, breaking the record for the highest number of digital copies to be sold in a first week of release – and becoming the latest album to pass 100,000 downloads. Digital accounted for 40% of the band’s first week album sales.
Digital albums now represent 26.2% share of total album sales, up from 17.5% during 2010, according to the Official Charts Company data. This year, the Top 10 biggest digital albums have all sold more than 100,000 digital copies, including albums by Lady Gaga, Jessie J and Ed Sheeran."
The news follows the success of Coldplay’s hotly anticipated new album, Mylo Xyloto, which sold more than 80,000 digital copies in week one, breaking the record for the highest number of digital copies to be sold in a first week of release – and becoming the latest album to pass 100,000 downloads. Digital accounted for 40% of the band’s first week album sales.
Digital albums now represent 26.2% share of total album sales, up from 17.5% during 2010, according to the Official Charts Company data. This year, the Top 10 biggest digital albums have all sold more than 100,000 digital copies, including albums by Lady Gaga, Jessie J and Ed Sheeran."
Source: Press release from BPI, 7th November 2011
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