2021 U.S. music revenue, driven by streaming, on pace to set new record (RAIN projection)

The U.S. recorded music industry is projected to exceed a 48-year revenue record set in 1999, according to RAIN’s examination of reports from the RIAA. The historical revenue high point was set in 1999 at $14.6-billion in recorded music revenue. Based on a persistent trend of H2 revenue exceeding H1 revenue, we project a new high water mark driven by streaming, the most lucrative channel for music labels. Click through for details and infographics. Continue Reading

AccuRadio intros “World’s largest playlist of holiday songs.” It is big.

Venerable streaming music service AccuRadio sent around a notice that it has curated what the company describes as the world’s largest playlist of holiday songs. We won’t argue — this juggernaut of holiday cheer contains 17,000 tracks, and would require over five weeks of uninterrupted streaming to hear them all. Click through for details and links. Continue Reading

Canadian digital audio listening surpasses radio for first time; divergence will increase (eMarketer)

Canadian listeners chose digital audio sources slightly more than radio in 2021, for the first time. This according to eMarketer. “The switch is related to a reduction in commuting,” the company notes, “which has had a direct impact on terrestrial radio consumption.” eMarketer is predicting a widening of the gap in 2022. Continue Reading

Surge in Latino podcast listening the #1 “Top Finding” in 2021 from Edison Research

In an online presentation today, Edison Research released its Top Ten Findings of 2021, an interesting selection of key metrics from the company’s many consumer survey studies such as The Infinite Dial, Share of Ear, Podcast Consumer Tracker, and The Black Podcast Listener Report. Click through for details and infographics. Continue Reading

Global acquires Captivate for heightened podcast exposure and monetization

UK-based radio group and worldwide media company Global has acquired podcast hosting/tech outfit Captivate. Global is the developer and holding company of DAX, the company’s international digital audio advertising exchange. Captivate will become part of Global Player, and will take advantage of DAX’s immense reach for monetization opportunities. Continue Reading