A healthy music fan is one who spends money for music. When the consumer side is heathy, the production and creative sides naturally do well financially.
That is the formula spelled out by Russ Crupnick in the latest release from MusicWatch where he is Managing Partner.
This week’s release, titled No Slowdown Here- the US Music Fan Is the Healthiest They Have Been in a Generation, (see it HERE) itemizes six trend points supporting the idea of a vigorous music industry across direct spending, live events, and subscriptions:
- 132 million Americans pay for music subscriptions
- Consumer spending on recorded music hit a digital era high, growing 10% on a per capita basis
- Live and merch drove consumer spending increases
- 19 million bought a new vinyl record
- Naughty behavior continues
- Legacy formats get listens too
Each of those headers tops an explanatory paragraph with details. Example:
“In 2024 more than half of Americans aged 13-70 purchased a CD, download, vinyl, or an on-demand or non-interactive subscription (not including satellite radio). Americans spent $112 per capita on recorded music, up from $102 in 2023.”
Another:
“Yes, the number of vinyl buyers continues to grow, but vinyl is only purchased by 1 in 14 Americans (7 percent). A cocktail party statistic: more of us pay for audiobooks these days than for records.”
We do enjoy a good cocktail party statistic.
There’s negative realism in this report too:
“Fourteen million admitted to stream-ripping music files during 2024. Music piracy isn’t the scourge it was 20 years ago, but it’s still happening.”
We are just skimming. See the free one-pager HERE.
