2019 VS. 2018: TALE OF THE TAIL

Total U.S. music consumption in 2019 was, as this graph demonstrates, bigger than 2018’s total by 10% (nearly 60m), with streaming’s growth more than compensating for continued shrinkage in retail sales. Yet activity in the Top 200 was comparatively flat. So where was the uptick?

For one thing, the long tail of streaming was truly in evidence, as titles outside the Top 200, including deep catalog, showed continued life. With catalog in particular, streaming is beginning to look like the CD revolution on steroids, as consumers who already own classic recordings simply find it more convenient to stream.

But this data also suggests a significant expansion of the streaming demographic, as voice activation in particular added more adults and little kids to a user base that’s been dominated by teens and twentysomethings leaning on the button.