This Insider Spotify Data Is MIND-BLOWING

The video discusses the surprising disparity in the number of songs with over a billion plays on different music platforms. While Spotify and YouTube each boast over 400 songs with this milestone, Apple Music has just achieved its first. The presenter delves into Spotify's API data, revealing the top artists by monthly listeners, with The Weeknd and Ed Sheeran leading the pack. The demographic breakdown shows a skew towards younger listeners, and the gender split is nearly even. Genre-wise, pop and rap dominate, with a notable lack of rock and metal artists in the top spots. The video also highlights the challenge for new artists, including AI artists, to break into the industry, given the established fan bases and long-standing presence of current top artists.

Takeaways

• 🎵 Apple Music recently had its first song with over a billion plays, 'Shape of You' by Ed Sheeran.
• 📈 Spotify and YouTube each have over 400 songs with over a billion plays, reflecting their longer presence in the market.
• 📊 Spotify's API provides a list of the top 500 artists with monthly listener counts, defined as listening to a song for at least 30 seconds.
• 👥 Spotify's demographic is predominantly 18-34 years old (54%), with females (56%) slightly outnumbering males.
• 🏆 The Weeknd tops Spotify's monthly listeners with 108 million, followed by Ed Sheeran with 86 million.
• 🎉 Pop and rap are the dominant genres among the top 40 artists, comprising 72.5% of the list.
• 🔍 Rock and pop rock artists are underrepresented, with Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, and Maroon 5 being the only notable ones.
• 📉 The prominence of rock music on Spotify is low, with the first metal band, Linkin Park, appearing at 82 and Foo Fighters at 253.
• 🚀 Most artists in the top 40 gained prominence between 2010 and 2020, with no significant breakthrough artists from the last three years.
• 🎶 The absence of TikTok-driven artists in the top 40 suggests that virality on the platform does not directly translate to long-term success on Spotify.
• 🤖 AI artists face significant challenges in breaking into the market due to the established presence of human artists and the lack of personal interaction.

Q & A

What milestone did Ed Sheeran's song 'Shape of You' achieve on Apple Music?

Ed Sheeran's song 'Shape of You' became the first song on Apple Music to surpass one billion plays.

How many songs does Spotify have with over a billion plays?

Spotify has over 400 songs with more than a billion plays.

What is the definition of a 'listen' according to Spotify's API?

A 'listen' is constituted by 30 seconds of listening to a song.

What is the age demographic breakdown for Spotify listeners?

The age demographics are as follows: 18 to 24 years old account for 26%, 25 to 34 years old for 29%, 35 to 44 years old for 16%, 45 to 54 years old for 11%, and listeners over 55 years old make up 19%.

What is the gender distribution of Spotify listeners?

Spotify has 56% female and 44% male listeners.

Who is the number one artist on Spotify in terms of monthly listeners?

The Weeknd is the number one artist with 108 million monthly listeners.

What is the difference in monthly listeners between the number one and number two artist on Spotify?

There is a difference of 22 million monthly listeners between the number one artist, The Weeknd, and the number two artist, Ed Sheeran.

What genre of music is most represented in the top 40 artists on Spotify?

Pop music is the most represented, with 45% of the top 40 artists being pop artists.

What was the first genre to appear in the top 40 artists list that could be classified as rock or pop rock?

Coldplay, a pop rock band, was the first to appear in the list at number 14 with 65 million monthly listeners.

What is the position of the first metal band on the Spotify top artists list?

The first metal band on the list is Linkin Park, which is ranked at number 82 with 35 million monthly listeners.

How many artists from the last three years are present in the top 40 artists on Spotify?

There are no artists from the last three years in the top 40 artists on Spotify.

What challenges do AI artists face in breaking into the top of the Spotify charts?

AI artists face challenges such as the need to develop a live following, interact with fans on a human level, and compete with established artists who have been around for a long time and have a significant presence on the platform.

Outlines

00:00

🎵 Music Streaming Platforms and Demographics

The speaker discusses the milestone of Apple Music's first song reaching a billion plays, comparing it to the already established billion-plays songs on Spotify and YouTube. They delve into the demographics of Spotify's listeners, highlighting that 54% are between 18 and 34 years old, and 46% are between 35 and 100. The gender split is 56% female and 44% male. The top artists by monthly listeners are listed, with The Weeknd and Ed Sheeran leading the pack. The speaker also categorizes the top 40 artists into genres, noting a prevalence of pop and rap, and observes the shift in music industry prominence from older to newer artists, with a significant portion emerging between 2010 and 2020. The lack of recent artists and 'TikTokers' in the top charts is highlighted, suggesting the difficulty for new artists, including AI artists, to break into the market.

05:01

🤔 The Challenge for Rock and AI Artists in the Music Industry

The speaker further explores the representation of rock music and AI artists in the current music streaming landscape. They note that multi-generational artists like Queen and Elton John have a broad appeal, but rock music is underrepresented, with Linkin Park being the first metal act listed with 35 million monthly listeners. The Foo Fighters are much lower on the list, indicating a smaller market share for rock music. The speaker expresses skepticism about the ability of AI artists to break into the industry, given the long-standing success of human artists and the difficulty of replicating genuine fan interaction. They suggest that while pop music might be more easily mimicked by AI, it's unlikely that AI will take over the music industry anytime soon.

Keywords

Spotify

Spotify is a digital music, podcast, and video streaming service that gives users access to millions of songs and other audio content from artists around the world. In the video, Spotify is used to analyze the top artists by monthly listeners and to discuss the demographics of its user base, which is central to understanding the current music industry landscape.

Monthly Listeners

Monthly listeners refer to the number of unique users who have listened to an artist's music on a streaming platform within the last 28 days. In the context of the video, monthly listeners are a key metric for determining an artist's popularity and relevance on Spotify, with artists like The Weeknd and Ed Sheeran having tens of millions of monthly listeners.

Demographics

Demographic information provides insights into the characteristics of a particular group, such as age, gender, and other attributes. The video discusses Spotify's demographic data, highlighting that the majority of its listeners are between the ages of 18 and 34, and that there is a slight majority of female users. These demographics are crucial for understanding the target audience for artists and the music industry.

Top Artists

Top artists are musicians who have the highest number of monthly listeners or streams on a music platform. The video script details the top artists on Spotify, with The Weeknd and Ed Sheeran leading the list, which is significant as it reflects the current trends and preferences within the music streaming community.

Genres

Genres categorize music based on style, content, and musical elements. The video breaks down the top 40 artists into genres, revealing that pop and rap are the most represented, with significant percentages of artists falling into these categories. This speaks to the dominance of these genres within the current music market.

Pop Rock

Pop rock is a genre that fuses elements of pop music with rock music, often resulting in a more accessible and radio-friendly sound. Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, and Maroon 5 are mentioned in the video as examples of pop rock artists, indicating a shift from their earlier rock sound to a more pop-oriented style to appeal to a broader audience.

Latin Pop

Latin pop is a genre that combines pop music with Latin American rhythms, instruments, and vocal styles. Artists like Shakira and Bad Bunny are identified as Latin Pop artists in the video, showcasing the growing influence and popularity of Latin music within the global music industry.

Multi-Generational Listeners

Multi-generational listeners refer to fans who span across different age groups. The video points out that artists like Elton John and Queen have a wide age range of listeners, which contributes to their high number of monthly listeners on Spotify. This highlights the enduring appeal and legacy of these artists.

AI Artists

AI artists are virtual or digital entities that create music using artificial intelligence. The video discusses the challenges AI artists may face in breaking into the music industry, given the established popularity of human artists with long-standing careers and the personal connection they have with their fans. It suggests that while AI can mimic certain music styles, especially pop, it may not be able to replicate the human element that is crucial for fan engagement.

Viral Videos

Viral videos are digital content that quickly spreads across the internet, gaining significant views and shares. The video script mentions the impact of viral videos, particularly on platforms like TikTok, on the music industry. However, it notes the absence of artists who have primarily broken through via viral videos in the top 40 Spotify charts, indicating that while virality can boost exposure, it may not always translate to sustained popularity on streaming platforms.

Rock Music

Rock music is a genre characterized by a dominant vocal melody accompanied by guitar, drums, and bass. The video discusses the underrepresentation of rock music in the top Spotify charts, with artists like Linkin Park and Foo Fighters ranking lower in terms of monthly listeners. This suggests that rock music may not currently be as popular within the streaming platform's user base as other genres.

Highlights

Apple Music had its first song with over a billion plays, 'Shape of You' by Ed Sheeran.

Spotify and YouTube each have over 400 songs with over a billion plays.

Spotify provides an API with a list of the top 500 artists and their monthly listeners.

Spotify's demographic: 54% are aged 18-34, and 46% are aged 35-100.

Gender demographics on Spotify: 56% female, 44% male.

The Weeknd tops Spotify's monthly listeners with 108 million, followed by Ed Sheeran with 86 million.

The difference in monthly listeners between The Weeknd and Ed Sheeran is equivalent to the Beatles' entire listener count.

Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Shakira, Ariana Grande, David Guetta, and Bad Bunny round out the top 10 artists on Spotify.

45% of the top 40 artists on Spotify are pop artists, and 30% are rap artists.

Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, and Maroon 5 are the only artists resembling rock in the top 40.

57.6% of artists in the top 40 rose to prominence between 2010 and 2020.

Eminem and Shakira are the only artists from the 1990s in the top 40.

No artists from the last three years are in the top 40 on Spotify.

The Beatles are ranked 120 on Spotify's monthly listener chart, below Jake, a TikToker.

Multi-generational artists like Elton John and Queen have a significant number of monthly listeners on Spotify.

Lincoln Park is the first metal act on the list, ranked at 82 with 35 million monthly listeners.

Rock music does not occupy many spaces on the top 40 list on Spotify.

It is challenging for new artists, including AI artists, to break into the top of Spotify's platform.

Pop music is the easiest genre to be mimicked by AI, but it is unlikely that AI will take over the music industry.