Why Only Obsessing About Music Sales is Holding You Back
When it comes to measuring success in any industry, there’s no better indicator than sales. The music business is no exception, as companies continue to worry about the sales cycles associated with specific music singles for their artists. When companies focus solely on sales, however, they may...
Release Wars: How Drop Dates and Strategy Affect Street Success
By David Bakula, SVP Client Development, Nielsen Entertainment From Beck previewing his Morning Phase album for in-flight air travelers to hear via Gogo Inflight Internet before its formal release date to Bruce Springsteen streaming his recent Higher Hopes album more than a week before its release...
Country Music’s Young Blood is Driving its Growing Popularity
Country is America’s No. 1 radio format, thanks to the genre’s banner performance in 2013. In fact, according to Nielsen’s State of the Media: Audio Today report, the Country music format set all-time highs last year for share of the listening audience in both portable people meter (PPM)...
Tunes Over Time: Seasonal Shifts In Music
By David Bakula, SVP Client Development, Nielsen Entertainment To everything there is a season, and the music industry is no different. From holiday hits to summer jams, music trends vary with the weather. And understanding such trends can be crucial to success for artists, retailers and labels. So...
Feelin’ the Love: A Look at Romantic Songs, Books and Comedies
Love is in the air and in the entertainment aisle. So as we celebrate Valentine’s Day, let’s look at how romance influences music, books and home entertainment—as well as how consumers respond and engage with it—even on days other than Feb 14. Even though love is in the air, it may not be...
Super Sales: How this Year Measured Up, and the Impact of the Game on the Music Industry
By David Bakula, SVP Nielsen Entertainment You may have been one of the 111.5 million viewers who tuned in to Super Bowl XLVIII, the most-watched TV event in U.S. of the last few years. Regardless of whether you rooted for the Seahawks or the Broncos (or let’s be honest, watched the game for the...
Winner Weigh In: Is Consumption Worth its Weight in GRAMMY Gold?
By David Bakula, SVP Nielsen Entertainment From a gripping show-starter by music’s power-couple Beyoncé and Jay Z, to the historic on-screen wedding (presided over by Queen Latifah and Madonna), this year’s 56th GRAMMY Awards found new ways to surprise, electrify and get its audience talking....
Record Roundup: Where Nominated Artist Sales Stand before the 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards
The GRAMMY Awards are the music industry’s biggest night in the U.S.—over 28 million viewers tuned in to the the 55th show last year. In the few hours of performances and awards, a huge concentration of engaged listeners are exposed to some of the newest leaders in music. So while these awards...
U.S. Music Industry Year-End Review: 2013
From toe-tapping hits to head-bobbing beats, music speaks to people’s souls. Today’s consumer has more access to music ever, and they’re gobbling it up any way they can through as many formats as they can. But ever-evolving technologies are changing music consumption—and in 2013, those...