Data

Forget buzzy new shows like “The Queen’s Gambit” and “Normal People.” The three series that people spent the most time watching on the major streaming platforms in the United States in 2020 all premiered on network TV more than a decade and a half ago, the research firm Nielsen found.

Source: Viewers’ Streaming Favorites? Old Network TV Shows

In the case of on-demand video streams, the ‘R&B/hip-hop’ category actually claimed over a third of all plays, at 33.9%. In terms of audio streams, ‘R&B/hip-hop’ claimed 30.7% of all on-demand plays. And across audio and video streams combined, ‘R&B/hip-hop’ claimed 31.1%.

Source: Nearly a third of all streams in the US last year were of hip-hop and R&B artists (as rock beat pop to second most popular streaming genre)

Virtual concerts show great promise, and will likely remain as a driving compliment to musical careers – but how will the vaccine, and a return to crowded fans, factor in social changes brought about by digital? The critical question, as streaming fragments fan bases, is of who will be attending events where.

Source: The live versus streaming demographic paradox

U.K. Music, the umbrella body representing the collective interests of the country’s music industry, has published a report setting out the economic, social and cultural value of live music, along with a blueprint for reviving live music after COVID-19 forced the effective closure of the sector last March.

Source: U.K. Music Targets Summer Return for $1.7 Billion Live Music Industry – Global Bulletin

ASCAP and BMI have finally unveiled a new joint song data platform, reconciling songwriter and publisher information between the performance rights organizations in an easy-to-search way. With the new comprehensive SONGVIEW database, in songs where each PRO has a share, the listings on each organization’s website will now mirror the other’s.

Source: Who Owns That Song? ASCAP & BMI’s New Joint Database Will Tell You

BMG has issued the results of a study examining the historic royalty payments and rates of 33 labels and imprints acquired between 2008-2019, as part of the company’s initiative to ensure its artists are treated fairly and that Black artists are paid royalties on par with their label mates. BMG’s review found four of its acquisitions paid Black artists below the level of non-Black acts on those respective labels.

Source: BMG Review of Historic Catalog Finds Black Artists Paid Lower Royalty Rates at Four Labels

Music streaming services have continued to add U.S. subscribers this year, according to MIDiA Research, growing by 11 million paying users from January to September, to 117.9 million. But in a potentially troubling sign for the recorded music business, the number of total streams has remained the same.

Source: Streaming Is Stalling: Can Music Keep Up in the Attention Economy?

The MLC announced today (Dec. 9) that four music data companies are joining its Data Quality Initiative (DQI), including: Blokur, Exactuals, Music Data Services, and TuneRegistry. Through their work with The MLC, these companies will make it much easier for their users and customers to participate in the DQI and check the accuracy of their musical works data in The MLC’s current database.

Source: The MLC Partners With Software And Service Providers On Data Quality Initiative

In a blog post, YouTube Gaming head Ryan Wyatt attributed some of this growth to the pandemic, with fans increasingly turning to gaming as both a means of connection and entertainment, resulting in the industry hitting an unfathomable inflection point of growth, he said. “At these numbers, I believe our competition is now more the likes of Netflix than any other gaming video platform,” Wyatt tweeted.

Source: More Than 350 Gaming Creators Hit 10 Million Subscribers In 2020, YouTube Says – Tubefilter