nielsen music / mrc data midyear report · 19 hours ago · home. music video streams were 9.3%...

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NIELSEN MUSIC / MRC DATA

MIDYEARREPORT

CANADA 2020

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Introduction

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A FEW MONTHS MAKE. IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT IT WASN’T even six months ago that Shakira and Jennifer Lopez performed for a tightly packed crowd of more than 60,000 people in Miami at the Super Bowl, while Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas picked up five Grammys at what turned out to be 2020’s last major music business gathering since COVID-19 halted live events.

By Friday, March 13, the NBA and NHL had suspended play, the NCAA had canceled its spring tournaments, and theaters and live music venues had closed. As “safer at home” orders spread throughout the country, our homes became our offices, our schools, our daycares and our social hubs. Quickly and dramatically, life had changed. Our routines were disrupted, and we struggled to find balance.

Still, the music industry was experiencing a strong start to the year. Audio streaming was growing through early March, up 20.9% over the same period in 2019. Total music consumption was up 10.8% in the first 10 weeks of the year. As working from home became a reality for many, some of the key music listening hours, such as during commutes, were disrupted. But one thing that has remained consistent as the pandemic has unfolded is entertainment’s place in helping consumers escape, relax and feel energized. In fact, in our recent consumer research studies, 73% of people said they would go crazy without entertainment during this time.

Then, just as many communities began to slowly reopen, the country was shaken by the senseless May 25 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. This event, coupled with other recent acts of racial injustice, activated a widespread public outcry for social reform. Protests, marches and rallies took place across Canada and the world as our attention focused on Black Lives Matter and police reform. The artistic community, as it always has, responded with powerful music — Lil Baby, Meek Mill, Beyoncé and many other performers delivered messages in new releases that dominated streaming’s playlists.

Please join us in looking back at the major stories in the industry over the first six months of 2020. We are encouraged by the continued strong demand for music. We celebrate the creativity that artists have shown and the new ways that they are staying engaged with their fan bases. We hope that you find this data informative, as we all seek to quantify the trends and look forward to the rest of the year. As always, we would love to hear from you to learn how we can provide more tools to prepare you for music’s ever-changing landscape. Email us at [email protected].

Total music consumption was up 10.8% in the first 10 weeks of the year. By mid-March, that would all change.

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Contents2020 MIDYEAR HIGHLIGHTS ��4

2020 MIDYEAR MOMENTS ��6

2020 MIDYEAR CHARTS ��24

In this report, Nielsen Music/MRC Data is using a 26-week period for this year, running from Jan. 3 through July 2, while last year’s corresponding period ran from Jan. 4, 2019, through July 4, 2019.

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TEA (track-equivalent albums): 10 digital tracks = one album.SEA (stream-equivalent albums): 1,250 premium streams = one album. 3,750 ad-supported streams = one album.SES (stream-equivalent songs): 125 premium streams = one song. 375 ad-supported streams = one song.

YEAR TO DATE THROUGH MARCH 12

MARCH 13– JULY 2

TOTAL 2020 YEAR TO DATE

Total Audio Activity +10.8% +2.6% +5.7%

On-Demand Audio Streaming +21.3% +14% +16.6%

Total Album Sales -27.1% -45.7% -38.4%

Physical Albums -26.2% -64.7% -49.7%

Digital Albums -28.4% -16.7% -21.4%

Digital Song Sales -29.7% -24.5% -26.6%

Due to reporting methodology changes from a major video provider, year-over-year video comparisons are not reflective of industry trends and therefore have been left out of this report.

Total ConsumptionAUDIO(ALBUM + TE A + ON-DEMAND AUDIO SE A)

+5.7% CHG.2020 35.3M

2019 33.4M

Note: The term “total album-equivalent consumption” describes the number of physical and digital albums that were sold and the total number of album-equivalent songs from downloads and song streaming volume. For the sake of clarity, the definition of total album-equivalent consumption does not include listening to music on broadcast radio or digital radio broadcasts. Unless otherwise noted, all numbers are volume.

PRE-/POST-COVID-19 ANALYSIS: 2020 VS. SAME PERIOD IN 2019

MIDYEAR 2020

Highlights

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Catalog vs. Current Consumption(ALBUM + TE A + ON-DEMAND AUDIO SE A) (Catalog is defined as older than 18 months)

Catalog

Current

Volume

Volume

+11

-2YOY

VOL UME% CHG.

YOY VOL UME% CHG.

+11.2% CHG.2020 33.8M

2019 30.4M

Album-Equivalent ConsumptionDIGITAL(DIGITAL ALBUMS + TE A + ON-DEMANDAUDIO SE A)

On-Demand Song StreamingAUDIO

+16.7% CHG.2020 42.2B

2019 36.1B

Total Album Sales + TEA-35.3

% CHG.2019 6.9M

2020 4.4M

Digital Track Sales-26.6

% CHG.

-38.4% CHG.

2020 3.1M2019 5M

Total Album Sales(PH YSICAL + DIGITAL)

Digital Album Sales-21.4

% CHG.2020 1.6M2019 2M

Physical Album Sales(INCLUDES VIN Y L LPs)

-49.7% CHG.

2020 1.5M2019 3M

Vinyl LP Sales -26

% CHG.2020 311K2019 420K

Due to reporting methodology changes from a major video provider, year-over-year video comparisons are not reflective of industry trends and therefore have been left out of this report.

Note: The term “total album-equivalent consumption” describes the number of physical and digital albums that were sold and the total number of album-equivalent songs from downloads and song streaming volume. For the sake of clarity, the definition of total album-equivalent consumption does not include listening to music on broadcast radio or digital radio broadcasts. Unless otherwise noted, all numbers are volume.

2020 38%

2020 62%

2019 41%

2019 59%

2020 21.9M2019 19.8M

2019 13.7M2020 13.4M

2019 18M2020 13.2M

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THE MARKET BEFORE COVID-19 WAS SURGING

T HE RECORDED-MUSIC BUSINESS WAS CELEBRATING rosy results on all fronts before the coronavirus crashed the party. Through March 12, total audio consumption was up 10.8% to 13.8 million album-

equivalent units. Audio streaming showed continued growth, posting a 21.3% increase to over 16 billion streams, offsetting

the expected declines from physical and digital sales.Meanwhile, the usual slate of early-year events that put

music on the national stage gave a select group of artists — including some new global superstars — substantial boosts in streams.

The Grammy Awards on Jan. 26 gave performers and winners a major spike in consumption activity collectively. Tracks by BILLIE EILISH, winner of album, record and song of the year, as well as best new artist — posted a 38% streaming increase for the week of the ceremony, while the major record labels hailed the 18-year-old’s sweep of the Big Four awards as a victory for old-fashioned artist development. Other stars had people hitting the Play button, too: Camila Cabello’s “First Man” rocketed 711%, Lil Nas X’s “Rodeo” climbed 119%, and Lizzo’s “Cuz I Love You” rose 82%.

A week later, on Feb. 2, the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show, starring JENNIFER LOPEZ and SHAKIRA, provided a 224% boost in audio and video consumption to the artists’ combined catalogs the week of the game. The annual tradition impressed with an peak TV audience of 12.1 million, according to Numeris.

EMINEM’s surprise performance at the Academy Awards on Feb. 9 gave his track “Lose Yourself” a 163% consumption increase for the week.

Shakira (left) and Lopez at the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show in Miami on Feb. 2. (Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

Eilish at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Eminem(Craig McDean)

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T HEN THE CORONAVIRUS pandemic ensued, halting the concerts that artists and labels count on to market their music

and wreaking havoc on the global economy. Nielsen Music/MRC Data and Billboard teamed up to monitor consumer behavior and attitudes in the United States and released a series of reports titled COVID-19: Tracking the Impact on the Entertainment Landscape.* Consumer anxiety was already high in March: 70% had avoided crowded areas, and 68% worried about getting COVID-19 or passing it to someone at risk. They were stockpiling household items like toilet paper in case of a retail apocalypse

— but they kept streaming.Subscription services were the

big beneficiaries in the early weeks of the pandemic as people spent an extraordinary amount of time at home. Music video streams were 9.3% higher than the pre-COVID-19 baseline (the period of Jan. 17 to March 12) in the first week and rose to 13.4% the following week.

Physical purchases took a hit from mid-March to June as music retailers were closed to foot traffic, though some independent stores sold vinyl through curbside pickup or home delivery. A 26.2% pre-COVID-19 physical sales deficit from March 12 deepened to a

48.9% year-to-date loss through June 4. Vinyl, revived from a moribund state

over the past decade, was also hit hard. Through March 12, sales were down 8%; post-lockdown, the deficit had increased to 28.5% by June 4.

Of the 14 major genres, country music had the largest gains in weekly average streams from pre- to post-lockdown by a wide margin. Time at home with devices and smart speakers were the nudge that was needed: Just as country listeners had lagged behind other music fans in download adoption, they have been relatively slow to adopt subscription services. But they quickly switched gears. By the week ending May 7, country music streams had steadily risen 10.5% above the baseline even though a few key releases were postponed. Country’s market share of audio on-demand streams also grew, from 5.5% pre-COVID-19 to 6.4% post-lockdown. Christian, children’s and blues also posted increases.

*Nielsen Music/MRC Data COVID-19: Tracking the Impact on the Entertainment Landscape. (U.S. only) Release 1 (sample size 945) March 25-March 29, Release 2 (sample size 1,013) April 7-April 11, Release 3 (sample size 1,010) April 23-April 27, Release 4 (sample size 1,015) May 7-May 10.

GIVEN THE BOREDOM AND anxiety caused by the pandemic, it’s no surprise that people looked to music for comfort: 87% of consumers listened to music they usually listen to, and 55% revisited music they hadn’t heard in a while (Release 2).*

Catalog — music titles older than 18 months — took a slightly larger share of both on-demand audio streams — 61.9% in the

first half of 2020 versus 59.8% in the first half of 2019 — and year-to-date audio consumption (sales plus streams) — 62.1% in H1 2020 vs. 59.1% in H1 2019.

On April 26, Canadian musicians, along with actors, athletes and activists, took part in the nationally televised broadcast Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble benefit concert that raised millions of dollars for Food Banks Canada’s COVID-19 relief efforts. The show also introduced ArtistsCAN, a collective artist initiative created by Tyler Shaw and Fefe Dobson to raise funds. Over 25 performers appeared on a recording of Bill Withers’

classic hit “Lean On Me,” which was released to radio, digital and streaming services. It debuted at No. 1 on the Digital Songs chart and in the top 15 on three radio format charts, and has totaled over 1.5 million streams in Canada to date.

Other artists who participated in charitable events included country star Brett Kissel, who performed sold-out drive-in concerts in Edmonton, Alberta, and Saskatchewan’s cities of Regina and Saskatoon to raise money for local food banks.

Many Canadians took to the streets and social media on April 4 to participate in a

singalong of The Tragically Hip’s 1999 single “Bobcaygeon” to show solidarity with the Pinecrest Nursing Home in the Ontario town, which was hit hard by COVID-19. Among the many who participated was the band’s guitarist Paul Langlois.

A number of award shows changed their plans due to safety concerns, including the Juno Awards. An online broadcast of the Junos aired June 29 that included the announcement of all the winners, plus a number of virtual performances. Alessia Cara, who was scheduled to host the event in Saskatoon, took home three trophies.

COMFORT DURING UNCERTAIN TIMES

AFTER COVID-19, THE MARKET WENT HAYWIRE

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A RTISTS AND LABELS FACED DIFFICULT DECISIONS ABOUT DELAYING ALBUM RELEASES TO WAIT FOR RETAIL CONDITIONS to improve or to coincide with postponed tours. An album-focused, CD-heavy genre like country depends on brick-and-mortar retail more than hip-hop or pop. Some artists who planned to bundle new albums with ticket sales opted to push their release dates before knowing all 2020 tours would be suspended.

CORONAVIRUS-RELATED RELEASE-DATE CHANGES

LUKE BRYAN’s Born Here, Live Here, Die Here was bumped from April 24 to Aug. 7 in order to coincide with his Proud to Be Right Here Tour. But with the shows delayed until 2021, the album will still be released Aug. 7 and has gathered momentum from its singles “One Margarita” and “Build Me a Daddy.”

THE (FORMERLY DIXIE) CHICKS’ highly anticipated fifth studio album, Gaslighter, moved from May 1 to July 17. Margo Price’s That’s How Rumors Get Started was bumped from May 8 to July 10. “Life is postponed until further notice,” Price wrote on Instagram, citing the halted production of vinyl LPs in making the decision. Alanis Morissette’s Such Pretty Forks in the Road was delayed from May 1 to July 31. And Lamb of God’s self-titled album shifted from April 23 to June 19.

But by pushing release dates, artists may have missed an opportunity to connect with fans who, perhaps surprisingly, were seeking more than the comfort of familiar songs: 62% of consumers listened to new music while the pandemic upended normal work and play routines (Release 2*). In the following weeks, 43% (Release 3*) and 42% (Release 4*) said they listened to new music from artists they had not listened to previously.

Some delayed titles were still released in the first half of the year. Most notably, LADY GAGA’s Chromatica was moved from April 10 to May 11 with apparently limited downside.

It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart with 28,000 equivalent album units during the week ending June 4, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data — the biggest week for any album by a female artist in 2020. Chromatica’s two singles broke right out of the chute: “Stupid Love” debuted and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 in March, while “Rain on Me” with Ariana Grande opened at No. 1 on the June 6 chart.

Bryan at the Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas in April 2018.(Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The Chicks (Robin Harper)

Gaga (Peter Lindberg)

*Nielsen Music/MRC Data COVID-19: Tracking the Impact on the Entertainment Landscape. (U.S. only) Release 1 (sample size 945) March 25-March 29, Release 2 (sample size 1,013) April 7-April 11, Release 3 (sample size 1,010) April 23-April 27, Release 4 (sample size 1,015) May 7-May 10.

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T HE FIRST HALF OF 2020 MARKED a new dawn for the music livestream as millions of people passed time online watching

performances, and some pledged

support for their favorite artists. With venues closed, tours suspended and artists sidelined at home, livestreaming took off at the onset of COVID-19.

Interest in virtual concerts grew as weeks passed. By the week of April 6, 19% of the general population had seen a performance streamed live while 35% said they were likely to do so. Even though livestream concerts are new to most music fans, 28% of people said they would pay to watch online.

While not a traditional live performance, TRAVIS SCOTT’s appearance in the video game Fortnite was the most talked-about gig of 2020. On April 23, some 12.3 million players concurrently viewed Scott’s avatar perform his new song “Astronomical” in a dizzyingly colorful and psychedelic landscape. Fortnite boosted his catalog totals: Audio streams climbed 69%, video streams jumped 135%, and song sales rose 318% in the week following the event.

By the time singer Andrea Bocelli took the stage at the Duomo cathedral in Milan, over 19,000 Italians — mostly in northern Italy — had died from COVID-19. His April 12 performance, the 21-minute Music for Hope: Live From Duomo di Milano, was livestreamed on YouTube and had over 2.8 million concurrent viewers worldwide at its peak — one of the largest livestream audiences of all time, according to Bocelli’s label, Decca Records. In Canada, the performance prompted a

371% gain in his catalog’s streams over the previous week.

The Grammy Awards’ tribute to Prince that aired April 21 led to a combined 23% gain in combined audio and video streams of the artist’s catalog over the prior week.

CONNECTING WITH MUSICFANS IN THEIR DIGITAL LIVES

THE VERZUZ BATTLESInstagram’s Verzuz battles, created and hosted by producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, became the pandemic’s hottest video series. At first, Verzuz was a friendly, head-to-head battle in which opponents took turns playing their music. The debut installment peaked at about 22,000 Instagram live viewers, but viewership grew quickly as word-of-mouth spread: The-Dream and Sean Garrett had 46,000 viewers, DJ Premier and RZA had 849,000, and Teddy Riley and Babyface attracted over 500,000.

Verzuz battles consistently gave participants’ tracks a boost at streaming services. (For each battle, the two artists’ combined catalogs are compared the two days prior to battle day and the following day.)

ERYKAH BADU VS. JILL SCOTT on May 9

+90%BEENIE MAN VS. BOUNTY KILLER

on May 24

+104%BABYFACE VS. TEDDY RILEY

on April 20

+102% NELLY VS. LUDACRIS

on May 16

+18%

Scott at Something in the Water in Virginia

Beach City, Va., in April 2019.

(Brian Ach/Getty Images for Something

in the Water)

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T HE MAY 25 DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD AT THE HANDS of a Minneapolis police officer led to worldwide protests against racism and inequality, and renewed interest in songs about injustice and rebellion against

politicians and police. On their most prominently featured

playlists, streaming services showcased songs from North America’s pantheon about Black civil rights, discrimination and protest. The following tracks got big lifts across all streaming services (the average daily audio streams for May 22-27 compared with May 28-June 4).

BLACK LIVES MATTER

CHILDISH GAMBINO

“This Is America”

+278.6%J. COLE

“Middle Child”

+6.5% KENDRICK

LAMAR “Alright”

+271% 21 SAVAGE FT. J. COLE

“a lot”

+10.4% N.W.A

“Fuck Tha Police”

+157.4% RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

“Killing in the Name”

+9.8%

TUPAC “Keep Ya Head Up”

+136.6% NIPSEY HUSSLE “Grinding All My Life”

+31.4% LUDACRIS

“S.O.T.L.(Silence of the Lambs)”

+182.6% KILLER MIKE

“Don’t Die”

+10,192.7%SAM COOKE

“A Change IsGonna Come”

+111.2% JOHN LEGEND & THE ROOTS

“Hang On in There”

+13,422.7%

Gambino at Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival in San Francisco in August 2019. ( Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

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I T WAS A BIG FIRST HALF OF 2020 for The Weeknd. The R&B superstar’s latest album, After Hours, spent six nonconsecutive weeks atop

the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, the most for any title so far this year. After Hours had the highest one-week consumption-unit total for the period and is the most-consumed album of 2020 so far. Its first single, “Blinding Lights,” ruled the Billboard Canadian

Hot 100 for seven weeks, matching his longest-running chart-topper, “Starboy.”

The Weeknd is one of five Canadian artists to reach the peak on the albums chart this year, surpassing the three who topped the list during the same period in 2019. Justin Bieber landed his

sixth straight No. 1 with Changes, Tory Lanez picked up his second with The New Toronto 3, NAV scored his second consecutive chart-topper with Good Intentions, and Drake hit No. 1 for the 10th time with Dark Lane Demo Tapes.

It has been a strong first half of the year for a number of emerging Canadian artists. The first charted song by Kitchener, Ontario’s JJ Wilde, “The Rush,” topped the Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock airplay charts for multiple weeks, making her the first Canadian performer since 2016 to reach No. 1 on both lists. Surrey, British Columbia’s Tyler Joe Miller reached No. 1 on Country Airplay with “Pillow Talkin’,” becoming the third Canadian country artist to reach the peak with their first charted song in the Nielsen Music/MRC Data era. The first charted song by Toronto’s JP Saxe, “If the World Was Ending,” was a multiformat radio hit, peaking at No. 7 on Hot AC, No. 8 on Mainstream AC and No. 11 on CHR/Top 40. Vancouver’s Powfu reached No. 11 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 with his first charted single, “Death Bed.” Niagara Falls, Ontario, DJ-producer REZZ scored a top five Modern Rock airplay hit with “Someone Else.”

RODDY RICCH’s “The Box,” his first solo appearance on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100, spent 10 consecutive weeks at No. 1, the longest-running track to rule the chart since Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” in mid-2019. It’s the most-streamed title in Canada so far in 2019.

R&B/hip-hop artists had big successes on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart. Such veterans as Eminem and Future scored No. 1s while Lil Uzi

Vert, DaBaby and Gunna each landed their first chart-toppers.

Ariana Grande scored two No. 1s in three weeks with a pair of duets, topping the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 with Bieber on “Stuck With U” and “Rain on Me” with Lady Gaga.

Post Malone’s “Circles” became the only song in the first six months of 2020 to reach the top of the CHR, Hot AC and Mainstream AC charts. It was his first No. 1 at all three formats.

A pair of women scored their first airplay No. 1s. Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now” ruled CHR for five weeks and Mainstream AC for three. DOJA CAT’s “Say So” held the No. 1 position on CHR for eight straight weeks.

ON THE BILLBOARD CANADIAN CHARTS

Doja Cat(Courtesy of RCA Records)

Ricch(Chris

Parsons)

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THE UNQUESTIONABLEINFLUENCE OF TIKTOK

T IKTOK, WHICH RESEARCH COMPANY EMARKETER CALLED “a welcome respite from the relentless news cycle surrounding the coronavirus,” propelled three of 2020’s most-streamed tracks: Doja Cat’s “Say So,” TREVOR DANIEL’s

“Falling” and Roddy Ricch’s “The Box.” Of the year’s 15 most-streamed songs (audio plus video), eight have gone viral on TikTok. While some tracks’ success can be entirely credited the app, other tracks have used the app to help maintain their popularity.

“Say So” is the 12th-most-streamed song of 2020 so far and has appeared on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 every week this year, peaking at No. 3. Due to its success, Doja Cat has appeared on the Birds of Prey soundtrack with “Boss Bitch” and as a featured artist on “Shimmy” from Lil Wayne’s most recent album. Daniel’s “Falling” is the 13th-most-streamed track of the half year and reached No. 13 on the Canadian Hot 100. And after getting a boost from a TikTok meme and a prime spot on Spotify’s RapCaviar playlist, Ricch’s “The Box” spent 10 weeks atop the Canadian Hot 100 and is the most-streamed song in Canada for the first six months.

TikTok also helped tracks that would have performed well without it. For “Toosie Slide,” DRAKE — no stranger to the charts — worked with social media influencer Toosie and hip-hop duo AYO & TEO to create a dance built specifically for the app. It worked: Toosie’s video has 1.5 million views, and #toosieslide has over 4.2 billion tags.

Ayo & Teo (left) and Drake in stills for the “Toosie Slide” video. (Ayo & Teo: Courtesy of Ayo & Teo. Drake: Courtesy of UMG Recordings.)

Daniel (Spencer Miller)

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IN MEMORIAMNEIL PEARTTotal consumption of Rush’s Hall of Fame catalog posted a gain of 767% the week of the legendary drummer-lyricist’s death on Jan. 7.

KOBE BRYANTThe basketball star’s death on the day of the Grammy Awards was a constant topic during the telecast with mentions by Lizzo and Alicia Keys. Boyz II Men dedicated a performance of “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” to Bryant.

POP SMOKEThe rapper-songwriter’s latest album, Meet the Woo 2, set a new high chart peak following his death on Feb. 19, moving to No. 8 on Billboard Canadian Albums while his debut release placed inside the top 100 for the first time.

KENNY ROGERSFollowing the country star’s March 20 death, total consumption of his catalog posted a 1,476% increase, while The Best of Kenny Rogers: Through the Years entered the Billboard Canadian Albums chart at No. 12 for the week ending March 26.

JOE DIFFIEAfter the country singer’s death on March 29, total consumption of his catalog posted a 1,070% increase.

BILL WITHERSThe singer-songwriter’s two biggest hits, “Lean on Me” and “Ain’t No Sunshine,” both entered the Digital Songs chart

in the top six following his death on March 30. Total consumption of his catalog increased by 773%.

ELLIS MARSALISEllis, who died April 1 at the age of 85, was the father of jazz musicians Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo and Jason Marsalis. Some of the students he taught as an educator included Harry Connick Jr. and Terence Blanchard.

ADAM SCHLESINGERTotal streaming of his catalog with Fountains of Wayne jumped 93% after his April 1 death from complications due to COVID-19. He was also a member of the band Ivy and wrote the theme song to the film That Thing You Do!

JOHN PRINETotal consumption of the country-folk singer-songwriter’s catalog grew 368% following his April 7 death after developing COVID-19.

FLORIAN SCHNEIDER Streams for pioneering German electronic group Kraftwerk posted a 260% increase following the announcement in the first week of May of his death on April 21.

LITTLE RICHARDFollowing the rock’n’roll legend’s passing on May 9, his catalog posted a 683% streaming increase, while his Twenty Greatest Hits album entered at No. 23 on the Top Albums sales chart.

Peart at Cleveland’s Public Auditorium in 1977.(Fin Costello/Redferns)

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CANADIANARTISTS

( JAN. 3-JULY 2)

ARTIST ALBUM + TEA + ON-DEMAND SEA

1 THE WEEKND 236,000

2 DRAKE 230,000

3 JUSTIN BIEBER 164,000

4 TORY LANEZ 77,000

5 THE TRAGICALLY HIP 54,000

TOP FIVE ARTISTS

A LARGE NUMBER OF CANADIAN ARTISTS REACHED the top of the various consumption and airplay charts in the first half of the year. The Weeknd, TORY LANEZ, Justin Bieber, NAV and Drake all reached

the summit of the Billboard Canadian Albums chart. The Weeknd’s smash hit “Blinding Lights” ruled the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 and spent a personal best 14 weeks at No. 1 on Hot AC airplay. Bieber’s duet with Ariana Grande also hit No. 1 on the Canadian Hot 100, and his own single, “Intentions,” landed at the peak of the Hot AC chart.

A number of Canadian rockers had strong first halves, including Billy Talent, whose “Reckless Paradise” spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on Mainstream Rock, the band’s longest-running chart-topper. The Beaches scored their first No. 1 airplay hit with “Want What You Got,” and The Blue Stones reached the summit for the first time with “Shakin’ Off the Rust.”

Lanez( Josh Farias)

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ARTIST TITLEALBUM + TEA + ON-DEMAND SEA

1 THE WEEKND After Hours 163,000

2 JUSTIN BIEBER Changes 127,000

3 DRAKE Dark Lane Demo Tapes 69,000

4 DRAKE Scorpion 41,000

5 THE TRAGICALLY HIP Yer Favourites 40,000

TOP FIVE ALBUMS

ARTIST TITLESONGS W/SES ON-DEMAND

1 THE WEEKND “Blinding Lights” 484,000

2 JUSTIN BIEBER “Intentions” 302,000

3 DRAKE “Toosie Slide” 259,000

4 JUSTIN BIEBER “Yummy” 231,000

5 JP SAXE FT. JULIA MICHAELS “If the World Was Ending” 224,000

TOP FIVE SONGS

ARTIST SONG SPINS




4 ALESSIA CARA “Rooting for You” 34,000

5 SHAWN MENDES & CAMILA CABELLO “Señorita” 29,000

TOP FIVE RADIO SONGS (Ranked by airplay spins)

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POP( JAN. 3-JULY 2)


1 BILLIE EILISH 183,000


3 TAYLOR SWIFT 142,000

4 ED SHEERAN 123,000

5 BTS 101,000

TOP FIVE GENRE ARTISTS

F IVE OF THE TOP 10 MOST-CONSUMED ALBUMS in the first half of the year came from the pop genre. Led by Justin Bieber at No. 2, the list also includes Billie Eilish, Lewis Capaldi, Harry

Styles and Dua Lipa. Tones and I’s “Dance Monkey” (No. 2), Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now” (No. 6) and Bieber’s “Intentions” (No. 10) also place in the top 10 on the year’s Overall Streaming list. Pop artists who have scored No. 1 albums so far in 2020 include Bieber, Selena Gomez, BTS and Lady Gaga.

Bieber ( Joe Termini)

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2 BILLIE EILISH When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? 91,000

3 LEWIS CAPALDI Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent 84,000

4 HARRY STYLES Fine Line 84,000

5 DUA LIPA Future Nostalgia 73,000

TOP FIVE ALBUMS


1 TONES AND I “Dance Monkey” 546,000

2 SAINT JHN “Roses” 423,000

3 DUA LIPA “Don’t Start Now” 373,000


5 LEWIS CAPALDI “Someone You Loved” 296,000

TOP FIVE SONGS

ARTIST SONG SPINS


2 MAROON 5 “Memories” 57,000

3 HARRY STYLES “Adore You” 56,000


5 CAMILA CABELLO “My Oh My” 41,000


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ROCK( JAN. 3-JULY 2)


1 THE BEATLES 93,000

2 QUEEN 86,000

3 IMAGINE DRAGONS 65,000

4 AC/DC 58,000

5 COLDPLAY 54,000


V ETERAN ACTS ELTON JOHN, THE TRAGICALLY Hip and Queen have the most-consumed albums so far in 2020 in the rock genre. A number of artists who haven’t released albums with new

material in a while posted top 10 debuts on Billboard Canadian Albums, led by James Taylor, who scored his first chart-topper with American Standard. They also included Tame Impala, Pearl Jam, Fiona Apple — delivering her first album in eight years — and Ozzy Osbourne, who picked up his first chart-topping song in the Nielsen Music/MRC Data era at Mainstream Rock with “Under the Graveyard.”

Osbourne at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles in November 2019. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for dcp)

19


1 ELTON JOHN Diamonds 45,000

2 THE TRAGICALLY HIP Yer Favourites 40,000

3 QUEEN Bohemian Rhapsody 35,000

4 CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL Chronicle, Vol. 1 30,000

5 OZZY OSBOURNE Ordinary Man 29,000

TOP FIVE ALBUMS


1 JOURNEY “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” 91,000

2 IMAGINE DRAGONS “Believer” 88,000

3 PANIC! AT THE DISCO “High Hopes” 84,000

4 QUEEN “Bohemian Rhapsody” 84,000

5 IMAGINE DRAGONS “Thunder” 72,000

TOP FIVE SONGS

ARTIST SONG SPINS

1 THE STRUMBELLAS “Salvation” 14,000

2 THE BLUE STONES “Shakin’ Off the Rust” 12,000

3 BILLY TALENT “Reckless Paradise” 12,000

4 THE BLACK KEYS “Shine a Little Light” 12,000

5 ARKELLS “Years in the Making” 12,000


20

R&B/ HIP-HOP

( JAN. 3-JULY 2)


1 EMINEM 269,000


3 DRAKE 230,000

4 POST MALONE 186,000

5 LIL UZI VERT 139,000


The Weeknd (Nabil Elderkin)

F OUR OF THE TOP FIVE MOST-CONSUMED albums of the year belong to R&B/hip-hop, including The Weeknd’s After Hours at No. 1. The genre has six of the top 10 songs on the

Overall Streaming year-to-date chart, including Roddy Ricch’s “The Box” at No. 1, The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” at No. 3 and Future’s “Life Is Good” at No. 4.

Eminem’s Music to Be Murdered By spent four straight weeks at No. 1 on Billboard Canadian Albums, the most consecutive weeks for a chart-topping album in the first half of the year.

21



2 EMINEM Music to Be Murdered By 125,000

3 POST MALONE Hollywood’s Bleeding 108,000

4 RODDY RICCH Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial 100,000

5 LIL UZI VERT Eternal Atake 97,000

TOP FIVE ALBUMS


1 RODDY RICCH “The Box” 525,000


3 FUTURE “Life Is Good” 387,000

4 POST MALONE “Circles” 308,000

5 EMINEM FT. JUICE WRLD “Godzilla” 301,000

TOP FIVE SONGS

ARTIST SONG SPINS



3 DOJA CAT “Say So” 34,000

4 THE WEEKND “Heartless” 25,000

5 ARIZONA ZERVAS “Roxanne” 18,000


22


1 LUKE COMBS 109,000

2 LUKE BRYAN 63,000

3 MORGAN WALLEN 51,000

4 FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE 49,000

5 THOMAS RHETT 49,000


L UKE COMBS’ WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET — which topped the album chart in November 2019 — is the most-consumed country title so far in 2020. He also has the runner-up, This

One’s for You. Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber’s hit duet “10,000 Hours” is the genre’s top streaming song for the first half of the year. On the Country Airplay chart, eight songs from Canadian artists have hit No. 1 to date, including first-time chart-toppers Jess Moskaluke, Jade Eagleson and Tyler Joe Miller.

COUNTRY( JAN. 3-JULY 2)

Combs(David Bergman)

23


1 LUKE COMBS What You See Is What You Get 59,000

2 LUKE COMBS This One’s for You 47,000

3 MORGAN WALLEN If I Know Me 34,000

4 SAM HUNT Southside 33,000

5 BLAKE SHELTON Fully Loaded: God’s Country 31,000

TOP FIVE ALBUMS


1 DAN + SHAY & JUSTIN BIEBER “10,000 Hours” 181,000

2 DIPLO & JULIA MICHAELS FT. MORGAN WALLEN “Heartless” 142,000

3 MARSHMELLO & KANE BROWN “One Thing Right” 142,000

4 MAREN MORRIS “The Bones” 128,000

5 GABBY BARRETT “I Hope” 123,000

TOP FIVE SONGS

ARTIST SONG SPINS

1 CARLY PEARCE & LEE BRICE “I Hope You’re Happy Now” 26,000

2 LUKE COMBS FT. ERIC CHURCH “Does to Me” 24,000

3 BLAKE SHELTON & GWEN STEFANI “Nobody but You” 22,000

4 GABBY BARRETT “I Hope” 21,000

5 TRAVIS DENNING “After a Few” 20,000


24

TOP 10 ARTISTS BY TOTAL CONSUMPTION

TOP 10 ARTISTS RANKED BY ON-DEMAND AUDIO STREAMS

2020 BILLBOARD MIDYEAR CHARTSPowered by Nielsen Music/MRC Data

ARTIST ON-DEMAND AUDIO STREAMS

1 DRAKE 284.976 million

2 EMINEM 276.112 million

3 THE WEEKND 234.272 million

4 POST MALONE 225.422 million

5 BILLIE EILISH 196.643 million

6 LIL UZI VERT 187.05 million

7 TAYLOR SWIFT 160.949 million

8 JUICE WRLD 156.434 million

9 JUSTIN BIEBER 155.865 million

10 RODDY RICCH 150.214 million

ARTIST

TOTAL ALBUM-EQUIVALENT CONSUMPTION

ALBUM SALES

DIGITAL SONGS

ON-DEMAND AUDIO STREAMS

ON-DEMAND VIDEO STREAMS

1 EMINEM 269,000 39,000 86,000 276.112 million 55.158 million

2 THE WEEKND 236,000 43,000 84,000 234.272 million 28.964 million

3 DRAKE 230,000 5,000 36,000 284.976 million 25.206 million

4 POST MALONE 186,000 6,000 61,000 225.422 million 26.097 million

5 BILLIE EILISH 183,000 19,000 97,000 196.643 million 40.884 million

6 JUSTIN BIEBER 164,000 35,000 47,000 155.865 million 26.635 million

7 TAYLOR SWIFT 142,000 11,000 53,000 160.949 million 19.606 million

8 LIL UZI VERT 139,000 1,000 10,000 187.05 million 13.948 million

9 ED SHEERAN 123,000 6,000 51,000 142.727 million 25.646 million

10 RODDY RICCH 117,000 1,000 24,000 150.214 million 25.629 million

25

TOP 10 ALBUMS (Album sales + TEA + on-demand SEA)

ARTIST TITLE

TOTAL ALBUM-EQUIVALENT CONSUMPTION

ALBUM SALES

SONGSALES



1 THE WEEKND After Hours 163,000 41,000 71,000 148.538 million 11.952 million

2 JUSTIN BIEBER Changes 127,000 33,000 39,000 114.395 million 12.015 million

3 EMINEM Music to Be Murdered By 125,000 27,000 35,000 120.339 million 12.57 million

4 POST MALONE Hollywood’s Bleeding 108,000 4,000 46,000 130.509 million 11.63 million

5 RODDY RICCH

Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial 100,000 1,000 23,000 131.809 million 10.192 million

6 LIL UZI VERT Eternal Atake 97,000 1,000 7,000 130.814 million 6.775 million

7 BILLIE EILISH

When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?

91,000 14,000 47,000 95.892 million 9.557 million

8 LEWIS CAPALDI

Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent 84,000 4,000 64,000 98.209 million 7.362 million

9 HARRY STYLES Fine Line 84,000 13,000 31,000 88.324 million 5.768 million

10 DUA LIPA Future Nostalgia 73,000 4,000 50,000 82.643 million 8.489 million

TOP 10 ARTISTS RANKED BY ON-DEMAND VIDEO STREAMS

ARTIST ON-DEMAND VIDEO STREAMS

1 EMINEM 55.158 million

2 BILLIE EILISH 40.884 million

3 THE WEEKND 28.964 million

4 JUSTIN BIEBER 26.635 million

5 POST MALONE 26.097 million

6 ED SHEERAN 25.646 million

7 RODDY RICCH 25.629 million

8 DRAKE 25.206 million

9 BTS 24.606 million

10 JUICE WRLD 23.607 million

26

TOP 10 DIGITAL ALBUM SALES

ARTIST TITLE SALES


2 LADY GAGA Chromatica 6,000


4 VARIOUS ARTISTS Frozen 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) 6,000


6 JAMES TAYLOR American Standard 5,000

7 MAC MILLER Circles 4,000


9 ALEXANDRA STRÉLISKI INSCAPE 4,000

10 VARIOUS ARTISTS Country Heat 2020 4,000

TOP 10 ALBUMS (Total sales)

ARTIST TITLE SALES




4 BTS Map of the Soul: 7 27,000



7 ALAN DOYLE Rough Side Out 16,000

8 HALSEY Manic 15,000

9 2FRÈRES À Tous Les Vents 15,000


27

TOP 10 VINYL ALBUMS

TOP 10 PHYSICAL ALBUMS

ARTIST TITLE SALES



3 BTS Map of the Soul: 7 25,000



6 ALAN DOYLE Rough Side Out 15,000

7 2FRÈRES À Tous Les Vents 12,000


9 HALSEY Manic 11,000


ARTIST TITLE SALES


2 HARRY STYLES Fine Line 2,000

3 SOUNDTRACK Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 2,000

4 PINK FLOYD Dark Side of the Moon 2,000

5 TAME IMPALA The Slow Rush 2,000

6 BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS Legend 2,000

7 FLEETWOOD MAC Rumours 2,000



10 THE BEATLES Abbey Road 1,000

28

TOP 10 DIGITAL SONG CONSUMPTION (Song sales + on-demand SES)

ARTIST SONG

SONG SALES W/SES ON-DEMAND SONG SALES



1 TONES AND I “Dance Monkey” 546,000 71,000 57.305 million 17.636 million

2 RODDY RICCH “The Box” 525,000 18,000 65.130 million 17.704 million

3 THE WEEKND “Blinding Lights” 484,000 53,000 54.484 million 8.916 million

4 SAINT JHN “Roses” 423,000 36,000 49.004 million 5.608 million

5 FUTURE FT. DRAKE “Life Is Good” 387,000 8,000 46.583 million 13.737 million

6 DUA LIPA “Don’t Start Now” 373,000 35,000 43.46 million 6.333 million

7 POST MALONE “Circles” 308,000 30,000 36.112 million 5.411 million

8 JUSTIN BIEBER FT. QUAVO “Intentions” 302,000 20,000 35.561 million 5.902 million

9 EMINEM FT. JUICE WRLD “Godzilla” 301,000 16,000 34.727 million 12.103 million

10 LEWIS CAPALDI

“Someone You Loved” 296,000 25,000 34.666 million 6.555 million

29

TOP 10 SONGS: ON-DEMAND STREAMING (Audio + video)

TOP 10 SONGS: AUDIO ON-DEMAND STREAMS

ARTIST SONG ON-DEMAND STREAMS

1 RODDY RICCH “The Box” 82.834 million

2 TONES AND I “Dance Monkey” 74.941 million

3 THE WEEKND “Blinding Lights” 63.4 million

4 FUTURE FT. DRAKE “Life Is Good” 60.32 million

5 SAINT JHN “Roses” 54.612 million

6 DUA LIPA “Don’t Start Now” 49.793 million

7 EMINEM FT. JUICE WRLD “Godzilla” 46.83 million

8 ARIZONA ZERVAS “Roxanne” 41.89 million

9 POST MALONE “Circles” 41.523 million

10 JUSTIN BIEBER FT. QUAVO “Intentions” 41.463 million

ARTIST SONGON-DEMAND AUDIO STREAMS




4 SAINT JHN “Roses” 49.004 million


6 DUA LIPA “Don’t Start Now” 43.460 million

7 POST MALONE “Circles” 36.112 million

8 JUSTIN BIEBER FT. QUAVO “Intentions” 35.561 million

9 ARIZONA ZERVAS “Roxanne” 35.231 million


30

TOP 10 DIGITAL SONG SALES

TOP 10 SONGS: ON-DEMAND VIDEO STREAMS

ARTIST SONG ON-DEMAND VIDEO STREAMS





5 JUSTIN BIEBER “Yummy” 9.412 million


7 LIL NAS X “Old Town Road” 8.807 million

8 PINKFONG “Baby Shark” 8.676 million

9 BILLIE EILISH “bad guy” 7.870 million

10 DOJA CAT “Say So” 7.785 million

ARTIST SONG SALES

1 TONES AND I “Dance Monkey” 71,000


3 SAINT JHN “Roses” 36,000




7 LEWIS CAPALDI “Before You Go” 26,000

8 BILLIE EILISH “bad guy” 26,000


10 BLACK EYED PEAS X J BALVIN “RITMO (Bad Boys for Life)” 23,000

31

TOP 10 CANADIAN ARTISTS BY AIRPLAY (Canadian radio — all formats)

ARTIST SPINS


2 ALESSIA CARA 77,000

3 SHAWN MENDES 67,000

4 VIRGINIA TO VEGAS 64,000


6 DALLAS SMITH 63,000

7 DRAKE 61,000

8 CHAD BROWNLEE 42,000

9 BRETT KISSEL 42,000

10 JP SAXE 39,000

TOP 10 RADIO SONGS BASED ON SPINS

ARTIST SONG SPINS





5 HARRY STYLES “Adore You” 56,000


7 CAMILA CABELLO “My Oh My” 41,000


9 SELENA GOMEZ “Lose You to Love Me” 38,000


32

SHARE OF TOTAL VOLUME BY FORMAT AND GENRE (Selected top genres)

GENRETOTAL VOLUME*

TOTAL ALBUMSALES

PHYSICAL ALBUM SALES

DIGITAL ALBUM SALES

DIGITAL SONG SALES



1 R&B/ HIP-HOP 12.2% 8.1% 7.8% 8.3% 8% 12.7% 12%

2 POP 31.1% 10.3% 13.2% 7.6% 39.5% 32.6% 36.3%

3 ALT. ROCK 7.1% 16.2% 16% 16.4% 6.3% 6.2% 5.7%

4 HARD ROCK 1.8% 13% 15.1% 11% 1% .8% .6%

5 COUNTRY 6.7% 7.6% 8.9% 6.4% 9.9% 6.4% 4.4%

6 LATIN 1.1% .3% .1% .4% 1% 1.2% 1.5%

7 ELECTRONIC/DANCE 3.6% 3.2% 2.9% 3.4% 3.5% 3.6% 3.4%

8 CHRISTIAN .4% 1.4% .8% 2% .6% .3% .3%

9 CHILDREN’S .6% 1.2% 1.3% 1.1% .4% .6% 1%

10 JAZZ .7% 2.1% 2.4% 1.8% .6% .6% .3%

11 CLASSICAL .9% 2.8% 3.1% 2.6% .7% .7% .6%

*Total volume = Albums + TEA + on-demand audio/video SEA

33

SHARE OF TOTAL ALBUM-EQUIVALENT CONSUMPTION BY FORMAT

IND

UST

RY

TOTA

L

ON-DEMAND VIDEO STREAMS (SEA)

ON-DEMAND AUDIO STREAMS (SEA)

DIGITAL TRACK SALES (TEA)

DIGITAL ALBUMS

PHYSICAL ALBUMS

R&B/

HIP

-HO

P

POP

ALT

. RO

CK

HA

RD R

OCK

COU

NTR

Y

LATI

N

ELEC

TRO

NIC

/D

AN

CE

CHRI

STIA

N

CHIL

DRE

N’S

JAZZ

CLA

SSIC

AL

4% 4% 4% 3% 1% 2% 5% 3% 3% 6% 1%

84% 89% 88% 75% 36% 83% 90% 86% 64% 76% 71% 69%

4%2% 5%

3%

2%

5%

3%4%

5%

2%

3% 3%

4% 3% 1%

10%

26%

4%

1% 4%

20%

8%

11% 12%

4% 3% 2%9%

35%

6%1% 3%

8% 9%14% 14%

2%

34

PRE-/POST-COVID-19 ANALYSIS: AUDIO STREAMS BY GENRE (2020 vs. same period in 2019)

GENREYEAR TO DATE THROUGH MARCH 12 MARCH 13-JULY 2

TOTAL 2020 YEAR TO DATE

1 INDUSTRY TOTAL +21.3% +14% +16.7%

2 R&B/HIP-HOP +6.5% +5.6% +6%

3 ALT. ROCK +22.3% +2.5% +9.6%

4 POP +19.3% +11% +14%

5 HARD ROCK +29.9% +27.1% +28.1%

6 COUNTRY +24.1% +22% +22.7%

7 LATIN +8% -5.5% -.8%

8 DANCE/ELECTRONIC +2.8% +4% +3.5%

9 CHRISTIAN +10.1% +5.6% +7.3%

10 CHILDREN’S +21.9% +38.1% +31.9%

11 JAZZ +12.1% +18.1% +15.7%

12 CLASSICAL +14% +20.3% +17.7%

MRC Data is the most comprehensive global provider of data and analytics to the entertainment and music industry and consumers. A division of diversified global entertainment company Valence Media, MRC Data was established in 2019 with the acquisition of Nielsen Music’s data and insights product suite. MRC Data services all digital service providers, labels, airplay and music retailers. MRC Data products include Music Connect, Broadcast Data Systems and Music360, which collectively capture and represent the most robust data set related to music sales, performance, artist activity and consumer engagement. Valence Media divisions and brands include MRC Film, MRC Television, dick clark productions, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Vibe and MRC Non-Fiction. The company has minority investments in A24, Fulwell 73 and T-Street.

nielsen music / mrc data midyear report · 19 hours ago · home. music video streams were 9.3%...

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