14 MusicWeek 07.09.12
BUSINESSANALYSIS STREAMINGINH1 EDITORIAL
Now there’s more to consider than retail and radio
THE UK’S OFFICIAL STREAMING CHART launched only around four months ago, but it has already developed its own personality. Rather than simply mirroring what is being downloaded in
the one-track digital sector, the chart is demonstrating genuine individuality with some tracks enjoying far better receptions here than at retail or radio. In many ways this fledgling countdown takes in a mixture of
elements from far more dyed-in-the-wool industry charts, finding places for a number of the very biggest download sellers, giving continuing support like radio does to recurrent hits long after they have peaked at retail and also backing deeper cuts from a range of top-drawer albums. Some hits, of course, are so popular they simply transcend
genre, format and commercial outlet – and that is clearly the case with Gotye’s Somebody That I Used To Know, which was both mid-year 2012’s top download seller and most-streamed track, while radio’s second favourite over the six months. It was, in fact, one of seven tracks among retail and streaming’s top eight of the period to be identical, but below them tastes varied hugely.
An even bigger contrast
“Streaming services are increasingly offering an alternative way to get traction or exposure for artists, even if radio stations carry on ignoring them”
in what was popular was between streaming and radio, which remains an extremely difficult place to penetrate for some acts, especially as playlisting power falls into fewer and fewer hands. But for these
artists streaming services are increasingly offering an alternative way to get traction or exposure for their music, even if stations carry on ignoring them. One such example is Lana Del Rey who, for all her media
coverage and decent album sales, has never really caught fire at radio – especially among commercial services. This is reflected by none of her songs making Nielsen Music’s half- year Top 100 airplay chart, but two of her cuts were among the 20 most-streamed tracks of the half year. Some no doubt who heard her music this way then went on to buy the album, although equally others may not have bothered, reflecting it was already theirs forever on their streaming service. Streaming’s support for emerging acts has also this year
included edgier acts such as Skrillex, but schizophrenically some users of these same services are showing real conservativeness by still heavily hammering the likes of Adele’s Rolling In The Deep many months after they have peaked at retail. Overall, as you would expect from a market still in its relative
infancy, a real mixed pictures emerges from what went on in the world of streaming during the first six months of 2012. But what is abundantly clear is that when assessing what any period’s biggest hits are there is now firmly a third player in town to consider alongside retail and radio.
Paul Williams, Head of Business Analysis Do you have views on this column? Feel free to comment by emailing
paul.williams@intentmedia.co.uk
www.musicweek.com
COMING ON STREAM: While Gotye ruled the retail, radio and streaming roosts, our six-
HALF-YEARLY ANALYSIS BY PAUL WILLIAMS
G
otye (above) has matched his retail supremacy on the likes of Spotify with Somebody That I Used To Know the UK’s
most-streamed track for the first half of 2012. The Island release, which sold an unrivalled 1.1
million downloads by the end of June, beat off Postiva/Virgin act David Guetta to top the Official Charts Company streaming countdown compiled from data by players also including Deezer, We7, Napster, Xbox Live Zune and mobile phone start- up ChartsNow. Somebody That I Used To Know was also one
of UK radio’s favourite tracks over the six months, ranked second behind only Jessie J’s Domino on Nielsen Music’s stats, demonstrating real commonality in tastes across retail, radio and streaming. However, below the Gotye
hit the Official Top 100 half- year streaming chart reveals some significant differences in opinion between what consumers were deciding to
listen to on streaming services and what was being downloaded or played by radio stations. The very biggest download sellers of the six
months were also the most-streamed tracks with Gotye joined by David Guetta’s Titanium, which was the third top seller and second on the streaming rankings, while Interscope/Polydor’s Carly Rae Jepsen achieved the second-highest sales and was third in terms of streaming with Call Me Maybe. Cash Money/Island’s Nicki Minaj was in fourth
“Warner had 24 tracks
on the half-year streaming Top 100, giving the major a far greater presence in this market than at retail”
place for both sales and streaming for the six months with Starships, while the retail/sales symmetry was also reflected by Atlantic act Flo Rida’s Wild Ones (fifth place on streaming/seventh on sales), Island/Lava-signed Jessie J’s Domino (sixth on both countdowns) and the Atlantic/Fueled By Ramen-issued We Are Young by Fun featuring Janelle Monae (eighth on streaming/fifth on sales). But many of the period’s other biggest streaming hits had a far less successful time at retail and in some cases also struggled to convince radio programmers of their merits. Part of the difference between the half-year charts for sales and
MID-YEAR 2012 STREAMING UK TOP 100 BY CORPORATE GROUP BY GENRE BY NATIONALITY
Universal 38% (40%) Warner 24% (18%) Sony 17% (22%) EMI 16% (14%) Others 5% (6%)
Pop 45% (42%)
Contemporary urban 25% (27%) Rock 15% (8%) Dance 12% (21%) Others 3% (1%)
UK 46% (47%) US 34% (34%)
Rest of Europe 8% (8%) Rest of world 12% (11%)
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