Nielsen Music Q1 Report: Streaming Leads Increased Consumption; Sheeran, Migos Dominate

Nielsen

NIELSEN MUSIC has released its Q1 2017 report on the business, noting overall consumption is up 5.9% from Q1 2016, with 145.5 million total album equivalent units, led by the streaming sector, with total on-demand streams up 35.2% over last year to 133.9 billion. Of those, 86.1 billion were audio on-demand streams (up 67% over Q1 2016), 47.8 billion were video on-demand streams (up only 1% due to a change in YOUTUBE reporting), and 3.1 billion were programmed streams (up 49%, though the numbers don’t include PANDORA). That was more than enough to offset the continuing declines in physical products.

ED SHEERAN was the dominant force in the first three months of the new year, topping the album charts with "÷ (Divide)" and the digital songs chart with ‘Shape of You.’ Red-hot hip-hop act MIGOS had the most-streamed song .of the quarter at on-demand services with "Bad And Boujee," while the "La La Land" soundtrack claimed #1 on the vinyl albums chart. 

The UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP leads in overall market share for albums, digital track sales and audio-on demand streams (or, album plus TEA plus SEA for on-demand streams) with a 35.8% share, which is down slightly from the 35.9% it had at the end of Q1 in 2016. SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT is down more than three percentage points to 26.8% in the first quarter, from the 30% it had in the corresponding year earlier period; and WARNER MUSIC GROUP's share is up slightly to 17.5% from the 17.4% it had in the first quarter of 2015.

Independent labels collectively saw an increase to 20% in the first quarter compared to 16.8% in 2015. These numbers only reflect distribution ownership. 

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