The 10 Best-Selling Christmas Albums

Everyone thinks that Christmas albums are giant moneymakers, but while massive radio airplay may bring songwriters of Christmas songs some big royalty checks, Holiday albums haven't really sold that well.

Below is an infographic from Statista based on Billboard chart information that shows the 10 best selling Christmas albums since 1991. It's surprising that Kenny G is #1, but it's even more surprising that the total album sales is only 7.3 million units. Also a surprise is that Mannheim Steamroller has such a strong presence on the list, taking up the 5, 6 and 7 positions and totaling just under 11 million.

Of course, selling a million albums today is quite a feat, but remember that most of these top sellers were around during the heyday of the CD business, when selling a million merely got you into the game.

Have a very merry Christmas, and thank you kindly for your continued support of this blog!

---

Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this blog at no cost to you (just click here).

Spotify Still Leads In Paid Streaming Customers

It looks like Spotify is still in the lead in terms of paying customers, if this chart from Statista is any indication.

The chart shows that Spotify has a handy lead over Apple Music at the moment, although it's yet to be seen just how many people buy into the YouTube's new Red service, which could change the balance of power here.

A couple things to keep in mind when looking at this chart.

1. There are only a bit more than 40 million paying customers for streaming at the moment, so there's a lot of room for growth.

2. The chart only looks at Western services, and doesn't include any from Asia, where people have been used to paying for music for some time.

You will find more statistics at Statista

---

Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this blog at no cost to you (just click here).

A Look At The Crowded Streaming Marketplace

Apple Music launch this week moves it into an already crowded streaming marketplace. This Edison Research survey (the chart was put together by Statista) shows that Pandora has a commanding lead in the US over all other streaming services.

It's important to remember that Pandora isn't available in most of the rest of the world, so Spotify basically has matched its user numbers if you look at it globally.

Apple Music hopes to be at the top of the food chain within a year though, and actually has a shot at it despite the tepid launch thanks to its hardware user base and the 850 million credit cards currently on file.

---

Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this blog at no cost to you (just click here).

A Look At The Streaming Revenue Pie

Here's an interesting infographic from Statista that shows exactly what the online digital revenue pie looks like as compared to 2008.

At the end of 2014 there was about 28 million paid streaming music subscribers, which has now topped 41 million so the numbers are quite a bit larger in 2015.

As you can see, downloads still owns 52% of the market, and while that will undoubtedly decrease in 2015, it will still remain a substantial piece of the puzzle for at least a few more years.

What is growing is the number of people that are adopting streaming, either via the free tier or paid subscription, and this looks to really take off now that Apple Music has launched.

What's interesting is that 15% of the market is still made up of ring tones, ring backs and various other technologies that we don't even consider these days, but are still generating significant income.


You will find more statistics at Statista

---

Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this blog at no cost to you (just click here).

The Generation Gap In Music Streaming

It's been said that statistics can be presented to reach any conclusion that you want and that's true to some degree. While a chart or graph might show one thing, it may overlook or ignore the real reason the result is happening.

Take for instance this infographic from Statista that shows the generation gap of the users of streaming music. The information comes from Edison Research's annual survey called The Infinite Dial and shows that Baby Boomers are way behind the curve when it comes to streaming adoption, as opposed to 12 to 24 year olds.

What the chart doesn't take into account is that 12 to 24 is the prime age for music consumption. 25 to 54 is when people are starting families and working and therefore have less time for music in general, while people ages 55+ typically consume far less music in general because of other interests.

The point is if you look at any area of music consumption, you'll find the same general breakdown.

A couple of things about this chart that are interesting though:

1. All age groups use Pandora much more than than the on-demand Spotify service.

2. More people use iTunes Radio than generally believed.

---

You should follow me on Forbes for some insights on the new music business, Twitter and Facebook for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

The Most Popular Social Networks For Young Americans

While we continue to hear about Americans ages 12 to 24 fleeing Facebook for other apps like Snapchat, Vine or WhatsApp, the evidence just doesn't square up with the facts.

While it's true that Facebook usage in that age group is lower than before, the social network still has a commanding lead over any of its competitors.

Here's a chart by Statista based on data published by Edison Research and Triton Digital that shows just how much 12 to 24 year olds actually use each of the most popular social platforms now available.

This is vitally important if your audience is in this age group because your promotion has to go where your fans are.

---

You should follow me on Forbes for some insights on the new music business, Twitter and Facebook for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Only 1 In 4 Spotify Users Pay

Spotify is growing and it now has more than 60 million subscribers, but how many of those actually pay? It turns out that about 25% are paying subscribers, bringing the figure to around 15 million, which was a substantial increase over the previous year. What's more, that's still a lot better than Pandora, which runs at about a 10 to 1 paying subscriber ratio.

That said, Spotify has been running discounted deals for the better part of that time period, so basically no one is paying "retail" for their subscription. The big question is, what will happen when the prices go back to normal?

The other major looming question is, what will happen when Apple's Beats service is reloaded and launched this year, along with YouTube's Music Key? Will the increased competition stunt Spotify's growth?

If I had to wager on it, I'd say that all of those concerns will factor into a tougher year for the platform in 2015.

Here's a infographic from Statista that shows Spotify's recent growth.

You will find more statistics at Statista

The Top 10 Best Selling Christmas Albums

Everyone thinks that Christmas albums are giant moneymakers, but while massive radio airplay may bring songwriters of Christmas songs some big royalty checks, Holiday albums haven't really sold that well.

Below is an infographic from Statista based on Billboard chart information that shows the 10 best selling Christmas albums since 1991. It's surprising that Kenny G is #1, but it's even more surprising that the total album sales is only 7.3 million units. Also a surprise is that Mannheim Steamroller has such a strong presence on the list, taking up the 5, 6 and 7 positions and totaling just under 11 million.

Of course, selling a million albums today is quite a feat, but remember that most of these top sellers were around during the heyday of the CD business, when selling a million merely got you into the game.

Have a very merry Christmas, and thank you kindly for your continued support of this blog!

The Highest Paid Musicians Of 2014

When it comes to making money, it sure helps if a musician has another source of revenue besides royalties, touring, merch sales and licensing.

Take the case of Dr. Dre, who made more money than any musician in history last year on the basis of his interest in Beats Electronics, which was purchased by Apple for $3 billion. As a result, Dre comes in at #1 of the highest paid musicians with $620 million, according to the following chart by Statista.

Some familiar faces fill out the rest of the top 10, but relative newcomers Justin Bieber, One Direction, Calvin Harris and Toby Keith all had banner years.

Notice who's not on the chart - Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry, among other current stars.

The Top 10 Apps In The US

Music apps are very popular these days, but it comes as a little bit of a surprise that only one true music app (Pandora) and two apps that are used for music a lot but not exclusively (YouTube and Google Play) are in the top 10 in the US at the moment, according to this graphic by Statista based on data from Comscore.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is that Google Search is not #1, and that two map apps (Google Maps and Apple Maps) rank so high. That said, the chances are good that a new and different music app breaks into the top 10 at this time next year. Care to speculate on which one?

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

The Millennial's Choice For Social Networks

Millennials love their smartphones and they love their social networks. Here's an interesting Statista infographic derived from comScore and Mobile Metrix info that shows their most popular social networks while using their phones.

What's interesting is that Facebook is still the number 1 choice by far, followed by Instagram and Snapchat. Now you can see why Snapchat turned down a $3 billion acquisition offer from Facebook last year.

What this chart tells artists, bands and musicians is that no matter how badly you feel treated on Facebook, don't give up on it yet. It can still be a powerful marketing tool if you know how to use it.

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

How Streaming Hurts Digital Download Sales

While this blog has posted many times about the decrease of download sales as streaming music has taken off, this chart from Statista illustrates the trend very well.

In comparing the first half of this year with the first half of 2013, you can see that on-demand streaming (which means from a service like Spotify or Beats Music) is up about 50%. Add to that the increase of on-demand music through video services like YouTube, which is up another 35%, and you can readily see why digital album sales are down almost 15% and individual track sales are down 13%.

CD sales are down by more than 19% from the same period, but that most likely would have occurred even without audio streaming becoming as big as it is. CDs will stay around for a while, but the format has long since seen its peak.

The anomaly is still vinyl album sales, which are up a whopping 40% over the same time last year. While that seems like a lot, the revenue derived from that facet of the business is still a figurative drop in the bucket compared to the rest of the recorded music industry, but it's still nice to see.

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

Country Music Acts Make A Lot Of Money Today

There are various studies that indicate that country music is either the most listened to, or the next to most listened to music in the US right now. This must be true given this Statista chart below, where the top 10 country artists made a total of $378 million in 2014 so far, according Forbes. Keep in mind that this doesn't include the summer touring months, which is the most lucrative time of the year for big touring acts.

This is no consolation to acts that aren't in the 1%, as touring is tougher than ever (check out this Wall Street Journal story) as venues of all sorts close. That said, life is sweet if you can make it to the top.


You will find more statistics at Statista

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

Facebook Drives More Traffic Than Twitter

Using Facebook for promotion may not always be the bonanza that everyone thinks, as outlined by my recent post, but it certainly is better at driving traffic than Twitter. According to a chart prepared by Statista around data collected from Shareaholic, Facebook is actually 23.4% better at driving traffic than Twitter.

The fact is that Twitter has actually lost influence in the last year while Facebook has spiked. This was no small sampling as well, as the data was collected from more than 200,000 websites with more than 250 million unique visitors.

In order for Facebook to work for promotion, you have to make sure that you include links to where your viewers can get more information. If there's a failing in Facebook posting, that's it. You can't drive traffic unless there's someplace to drive them to!

You can discover more tips on both Facebook and Twitter promotion, as well as other social platforms, in my book Social Media Promotion for Musicians. Follow to link to read some excerpts and receive a free chapter.


You will find more statistics at Statista

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

Facebook's Surprising Reach With Young Adults

We've been hearing a lot about Facebook's influence with teenagers dying, but according to the Harvard Institute of Politics, it's still alive and well with young adults by a long shot. In fact, Facebook has almost a 2 to 1 market share over the next nearest competitor Google+, which is yet another surprise.

There are a number of other surprises as well, with Snapchap and WhatsApp having only 23% and 9% penetration, while being far more widely used by teens.  Check out this infographic by Statista.

You will find more statistics at Statista

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

We Still Listen To Radio

According to what you'll read in most places online, you'd think that radio is dead, especially when it comes to discovering new music. That's far from the truth, according to a Statista infographic made up from stats from Edison Research. It turns out that radio is still the major way Americans 12 years old and up discover music, even after all these years and new technology.

You will find more statistics at Statista

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

Are People Actually Using Twitter?

It's one thing to be on a social network, it's another to actually use it. That seems to be the case with Twitter, which seems to get a lot of people signing up, but only a small percentage remain as active users.

This is illustrated in an infographic put together by Statista using the data published by Twitter analytics firm Twopcharts. As you can see, of the 284 million accouts created in 2013, only 37 million were actively tweeting in February 2014.

There are almost a billion current Twitter accounts, but only a small number are active. There have been almost 2.5 billion Twitter accounts total over the history of the platform.

What does this mean to you for promotion? Some people get Twitter and some don't. If it feels comfortable for you and you find a lot of your fans are using it, it's definitely worth adding to your social arsenal. If it doesn't seem to fit, there are other platforms that you'll find can be more useful to your social promotion.

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

The Rapid Rise Of Digital Music

Digital music has become a huge part of the global recorded music income, now bringing in just over a third of the total, according to the latest IFPI report. Here's a chart from Statista that shows how rapidly the sector has grown over the last 10 years.

As you can also see, downloads still make up more than half the digital music income, although expect that to decrease and for streaming income to increase in years to come.

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

Follow me on Forbes for some insights on the new music business.

You should follow me on Twitter and Facebook for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.

Which Streaming Service Is The Leader?

Spotify gets so much press and hype that we automatically think of it as the streaming service with the most listeners.

That's far from the truth though, as a new study from Edison Research shows that Pandora, at 31% of American listeners, is clearly the leader by a factor of 3 of the next competitor, as shown by this infographic from Statista.

What's probably more interesting is the fact that iHeartRadio is second with 9% and the relatively new iTunes Radio is right behind with 8%. Spotify follows in 4rth place at 6%.

What's not included is YouTube, which may in fact have a far larger audience than Pandora, if other studies and empirical evidence is true.

We're in the early days of streaming adoption, so expect this chart to be fluid. It very may be totally scrambled next year at this time.

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

Follow me on Forbes for some insights on the new music business.

You should follow me on Twitter and Facebook for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.

Facebook Losing The Critical Teen Demographic

Facebook still says it's growing, but it's beginning to lose the critical teen demographic, at least in the US, according to Piper Jaffray and shown below in an infographic from Statista.

Facebook is also beginning to see attrition with bands and brands as well, since it's more difficult than ever to reach your entire audience without paying (the average post only reaches about 16%). With fewer teens paying attention, there's less and less of a reason for an artist, band or musician to be on the network. You won't see a mass exodus from the service yet, but watch out in the future!


You will find more statistics at Statista

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

Follow me on Forbes for some insights on the new music business.

You should follow me on Twitter and Facebook for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.