2019 Nielsen Music Mid-Year Report Summary
Core Content
The 2019 Nielsen Music Mid-Year Report highlights the music industry's leading trends, data and insights from the first half of 2019, showcasing a record-breaking year in on-demand streams and the influence of various factors such as film, documentaries, and social media platforms.
Key Trends and Statistics
On-Demand Streaming
- Record-Breaking Streams: Over 507 billion on-demand streams were recorded in the first half of 2019, setting a new six-month record.
- Top Artists: Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Halsey, Khalid, BTS, Lil Nas X, and Bad Bunny were among the top contributors to this growth, spanning multiple genres and languages.
- Streaming Formats: The report notes the increasing importance of on-demand audio and video streaming, with 1,500 streams per album equivalent and 3,750 streams per album equivalent for video.
Physical Album Sales
- Vinyl Resurgence: Vinyl LP sales increased by 19% year-to-date, with 7.7 million units sold, and Record Store Day 2019 saw 827,000 vinyl albums sold, a 12.8% increase over 2018.
- Independent Retail: Independent retailers sold 633,000 vinyl albums, a 16% increase from the previous year, driven by exclusive pressings from iconic acts like the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, and Pink Floyd.
Music and Media Influence
- Film and TV Impact: Music featured in popular films and TV shows continued to drive consumption. For example, "Shallow" from A Star Is Born received a major boost after winning the Oscar for Best Original Song, and "Old Town Road" benefited from the TikTok viral challenge.
- Documentaries: Controversial documentaries like Leaving Neverland (Michael Jackson) and Surviving R. Kelly saw significant increases in consumption, with 41% and 13% year-over-year spikes respectively.
- Biopics: The release of Rocket Man (Elton John) led to an 84% increase in catalog consumption, while Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen) drove 731,000 albums sold.
Streaming and Catalog
- Catalog Growth: Music from artists with catalogs over 18 months (such as Elton John and Queen) saw strong growth, with Elton John's catalog experiencing an 84% increase and Queen's catalog a 68% increase.
- Streaming Windows: The report notes a trend of streaming exclusivity and window closures, as seen with Beyoncé's Lemonade and Prince's The Originals.
Top Performers
Top 5 Genre Artists (Pop)
| Rank |
Artist |
Album + TEA + On-Demand Audio SEA |
| 1 |
Ariana Grande |
2,270,000 |
| 2 |
Billie Eilish |
2,021,000 |
| 3 |
BTS |
979,000 |
| 4 |
Taylor Swift |
916,000 |
| 5 |
Ed Sheeran |
807,000 |
Top 5 Albums (Pop)
| Rank |
Artist |
Title |
Album + TEA + On-Demand Audio SEA |
| 1 |
Ariana Grande |
thank u, next |
1,553,000 |
| 2 |
Billie Eilish |
When We All Fall Asleep... |
1,304,000 |
| 3 |
Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper |
A Star Is Born Soundtrack |
889,000 |
| 4 |
Jonas Brothers |
Happiness Begins |
663,000 |
| 5 |
Various Artists |
The Greatest Showman Soundtrack |
511,000 |
Top 5 Songs (Pop)
| Rank |
Artist |
Song |
On-Demand Streams |
| 1 |
Ariana Grande |
"7 Rings" |
3,596,000 |
| 2 |
Halsey |
"Without Me" |
2,682,000 |
| 3 |
Ariana Grande |
thank u, next |
2,033,000 |
| 4 |
Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper |
"Shallow" |
2,020,000 |
| 5 |
Ariana Grande |
"Break Up With Your Girlfriend" |
1,906,000 |
Top 5 Radio Songs (Pop)
| Rank |
Artist |
Song |
Audience (Millions) |
Spins |
| 1 |
Halsey |
"Without Me" |
2,147,406 |
539,000 |
| 2 |
Benny Blanco, Halsey & Khalid |
"Eastside" |
1,803,927 |
447,000 |
| 3 |
Sam Smith & Normani |
"Dancing With A Stranger" |
1,528,954 |
403,000 |
| 4 |
Maroon 5 |
"Girls Like You" |
1,455,520 |
326,000 |
| 5 |
Ariana Grande |
"7 Rings" |
1,435,132 |
378,000 |
Top 5 Genre Artists (R&B/Hip-Hop)
| Rank |
Artist |
Album + TEA + On-Demand Audio SEA |
| 1 |
Drake |
2,078,000 |
| 2 |
Post Malone |
1,842,000 |
| 3 |
Khalid |
1,422,000 |
| 4 |
Juice WRLD |
1,284,000 |
| 5 |
Future |
1,109,000 |
Top 5 Songs (R&B/Hip-Hop)
| Rank |
Artist |
Song |
On-Demand Streams |
| 1 |
Lil Nas X |
"Old Town Road" |
5,215,000 |
| 2 |
Post Malone & Swae Lee |
"Sunflower" |
3,679,000 |
| 3 |
Post Malone |
"Wow." |
3,298,000 |
| 4 |
J. Cole |
"Middle Child" |
2,895,000 |
| 5 |
Meek Mill feat. Drake |
"Going Bad" |
2,439,000 |
Top 5 Radio Songs (R&B/Hip-Hop)
| Rank |
Artist |
Song |
Audience (Millions) |
Spins |
| 1 |
Post Malone |
"Wow." |
1,512,182 |
424,000 |
| 2 |
Post Malone & Swae Lee |
"Sunflower" |
1,392,798 |
366,000 |
| 3 |
Khalid |
"Better" |
1,018,521 |
300,000 |
| 4 |
Travis Scott |
"Sicko Mode" |
933,315 |
245,000 |
| 5 |
Cardi B & Bruno Mars |
"Please Me" |
902,827 |
212,000 |
Top 5 Genre Artists (Country)
| Rank |
Artist |
Album + TEA + On-Demand Audio SEA |
| 1 |
Luke Combs |
750,000 |
| 2 |
Florida Georgia Line |
591,000 |
| 3 |
Thomas Rhett |
567,000 |
| 4 |
Jason Aldean |
563,000 |
| 5 |
Chris Stapleton |
552,000 |
Top 5 Songs (Country)
| Rank |
Artist |
Song |
On-Demand Streams |
| 1 |
Luke Combs |
"Beautiful Crazy" |
1,337,000 |
| 2 |
Dan + Shay |
"Tequila" |
1,196,000 |
| 3 |
Bebe Rexha & Florida |
"Meant To Be" |
1,117,000 |
| 4 |
Dan + Shay |
"Speechless" |
1,161,000 |
| 5 |
Morgan Wallen |
"Whiskey Glasses" |
1,035,000 |
Top 5 Radio Songs (Country)
| Rank |
Artist |
Song |
Audience (Millions) |
Spins |
| 1 |
Luke Combs |
"Beautiful Crazy" |
867,553 |
226,000 |
| 2 |
Dan + Shay |
"Tequila" |
861,966 |
223,000 |
| 3 |
Jason Aldean |
"Girl Like You" |
732,438 |
182,000 |
| 4 |
Scotty McCreery |
"This Is It" |
724,039 |
196,000 |
| 5 |
Dan + Shay |
"Speechless" |
694,103 |
191,000 |
Top 5 Genre Artists (Latin)
| Rank |
Artist |
Album + TEA + On-Demand Audio SEA |
| 1 |
Bad Bunny |
525,000 |
| 2 |
Ozuna |
450,000 |
| 3 |
Maluma |
192,000 |
| 4 |
Daddy Yankee |
184,000 |
| 5 |
Romeo Santos |
158,000 |
Top 5 Songs (Latin)
| Rank |
Artist |
Song |
On-Demand Streams |
| 1 |
Bad Bunny Feat. Drake |
"Mia" |
986,000 |
| 2 |
DJ Snake Feat. Selena Gomez, Ozuna & Cardi B |
"Taki Taki" |
802,000 |
| 3 |
Daddy Yankee & Katy Perry Feat. Snow |
"Con Calma" |
836,000 |
| 4 |
Anuel AA & Romeo Santos |
"Ella Quiere Beber" |
600,000 |
| 5 |
Anuel AA & Karol G |
"Secreto" |
579,000 |
Conclusion
The first half of 2019 saw a significant shift in the music industry, with on-demand streaming dominating consumption, vinyl sales rebounding, and the influence of film, TV, and social media platforms like TikTok driving new hits. Artists such as Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, and BTS led the charge in pop and R&B/hip-hop, while Latin music saw a surge in female-led acts. The report also highlighted the importance of catalog and the impact of exclusive releases and cultural events on artist visibility and sales.
