1.5M in US earn a living as a digital creator or influencer1.5M in people in the US earn a living as digital creators and social media influencers. That stat is both encouraging and frightening if you're trying to grab attention online to market music or live shows.
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Are we reaching peak fandom?With streaming revenue growth slowing to 6.2% in 2024, the recorded music industry’s attention is firmly fixed on superfans as the ‘get out of jail free’ card. The growing sophistication of artist merch has reached the stage where fans can buy Taylor Swift fashion bags and shop her jewelry range, meanwhile all eyes are on the impending Spotify supremium tier (as reported by Bloomberg). But there are early warning signs that the industry may be going too fast and that superfan spending is being pushed to the limit. 

Record labels’ expanded rights revenue (the share of merch, branding, sponsorship, etc. that labels participate in) was up an impressive 16.4% in 2024 and was more than a tenth of all recorded music revenues in 2024. At the same time, however, physical revenues were down -4.8%, and have oscillated between growth and decline every year of the decade so far. Most significantly though, all was not well in the live music sector in 2024. This matters because so many of those live fans are the very same people buying merch (more than half of merch buyers also go to concerts every week). In short, both the live and recorded music businesses are trying to max out the spending of the same customers, all at the same time that streaming prices have gone up and high interest rates mean rents and mortgages are getting ever higher.

Live music has undergone a revenue renaissance since Covid, with revenues of leading live music companies more than double their pre-Covid high. Revenue growth soared in 2022 and 2023, but slowed to just 4.6% in 2024. Most importantly though, while revenue was up, the number of tickets sold was down. According to Pollstar, even though 2024 revenue for the top 100 tours globally was up 3.6% ticket sales were down -5.7%. For the top 100 US tours tickets were down -9.2%, and revenue was down too. In Ibiza, it was a similar story with ticketing revenue up 6.4% but tickets sold down -12.0%.

Live music companies argue that live music is price inelastic – meaning demand will remain stable despite price increases and consumers will tolerate higher prices because they want the product so much. That was true in the post-Covid era, when fans were so desperate to see concerts again that they were willing to pay a premium to do so. But the thing about elastic is, that if you stretch it enough, it snaps. Again, according to Pollstar, the average ticket prices for the top 100 tours worldwide rose 53.9% between 2021 and 2024. The elastic snapped in 2024.

Fans are still fans but they are being pummeled for spending from three directions: higher prices (plus supremium to come!) from DSPs; merch and vinyl from labels and artists; higher ticket prices from live companies. This is all while they are finding it harder than ever to pay the rent or mortgage, and this is not even considering the inflation that tariffs will most likely bring. Instead of thinking of the fan as a single person, three different parts of the music industry are seeing the fan as three separate addressable audience segments. We are now seeing the impact of that – and it will get worse. So much so that we may even see a decline in live music revenues in 2025. Keep an eye on Live Nation’s Q1 25 results later today (May 1st) for what may be an early indicator of what is to come.

As we have long said at MIDiA, you cannot harvest fandom if you are not also nurturing it. As long as the fan appears as three disconnected marketing lists for the music industry, what happens instead is that the field gets harvested three times over. It is time for a joined up view of the fan and a better understanding of just how much money they can spend. Otherwise superfans will simply never be given the chance to become super enough.

Spotify Q1 2025 earnings call: Daniel Ek talks growth, pricing, superfan products, and a future where the platform could reach 1bn subscribersSix things we learned from SPOT's Q1 earnings call...
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When the Room Is the Studio: Peter Chaikin Captures Acoustic Gold with Sanken MicsPeter Chaikin is the kind of guy whose resumé might need its own mixing console. A GRAMMY-nominated recording engineer and video producer, he’s spent his career helping top-tier audio companies bring award-winning music gear to market. He’s not someone who grabs a microphone on a whim. So when Chaikin picked Sanken Chromatic’s CU-44X MK II and CU-51 mics for his latest acoustic session, it wasn’t just a product endorsement—it was a professional decision made with finely tuned ears.The project? A down-to-earth collaboration with filmmaker and singer-songwriter Ian McCrudden and East Coast vocalist/guitarist Wendy Joyner. Together, they tackled a cover of John Prine’s “In Spite of Ourselves”—a song known for its offbeat humor and understated emotional bite. Not exactly the type of track you smother in post-production glitter.A statement from the company discloses that Chaikin’s “objective was to capture a recording that was authentic, and the key to that is compelling vocals, present, honest and clear without embellishment.” So, naturally, he skipped the studio and headed into a cottage living room with hardwood floors and lots of natural light. It was the kind of DIY setup that could easily go sideways—if it weren’t for the gear.To capture vocals, he used a pair of Sanken CU-51s. For the guitars, two CU-44X MK IIs. A statement from the company explains why: “They are cardioid mics with very neutral off-axis response and virtually no proximity-effect.” In human terms: these mics don’t color the sound or get boomy when things get close. They just... listen.McCrudden and Joyner brought very different textures to the table. “While Ian's vocal is gruff with lots of character, Wendy's is pure and clear,” Chaikin noted. A classic case of opposites attracting—sonically, at least. But blending contrasting voices and instruments can be tricky. A lesser mic might turn things muddy or boxy when the tracks are mixed. Not these.A statement from the company discloses that “listening in the control room, [Chaikin] was taken by surprise.” The vocals sounded natural. The guitars were crisp but not overpowering. The stereo image had space. Nothing got lost in the shuffle. “The vocal sound didn’t change when summed with the guitar mic,” he said. “I was really impressed by the neutrality, realism, and lack of coloration overall.”McCrudden, who’s no stranger to high-stakes music production (his Rickie Lee Jones – Live in Stockholm concert doc wasn’t exactly shot on a camcorder), heard it too. “To my ears,” he said, “the result was a sound that was faithful to the playing and singing in the room, giving us a spirited and unique duet.”These weren’t fresh-out-of-the-box mics, either. They were loaned by longtime Chaikin friend Jim Pace, principal at plus24 and Sanken’s U.S. distributor. The CU-44X MK II features dual titanium-matched capsules for wide dynamic range and headroom. The CU-51, meanwhile, is known for its ability to deliver the warmth of a vintage tube mic without sounding like it's trying too hard.In the end, Chaikin found himself in unfamiliar territory—and loving it. “I really enjoyed these mics,” he said. “It was a new experience for me. Rather than turning to my familiar go-to mics, the Sanken mics delivered neutrality and a sense of presence I hadn't experienced before.”Now available on Spotify, the track is more than just a duet—it’s a case study in how good gear, good ears, and a good room can still make magic. No plugins required.The post When the Room Is the Studio: Peter Chaikin Captures Acoustic Gold with Sanken Mics first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Tariffs, tight wallets may disrupt fragile Superfan EconomyAs economic uncertainty looms and tariffs shake up global supply chains, the music industry’s push to monetize superfans faces serious headwinds. With merch, vinyl, and fan experiences under pressure, are US labels betting too big on a fragile superfan economy?
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Live Music News: Beyoncé, Rauw Alejandro, Rostr, LIVE, MoreTopping live music news, Rauw Alejandro has become the first Latin artist to perform three back-to-back sold-out nights at Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome.
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Classical Highlights for April 2025Solo virtuosity shone in the latest batch of new releases that we reviewed in April. Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet delivers an exciting set of works by Khachaturian, while Jan Lisiecki combines Chopin's Preludes with those of other composers and violinist Liza Ferschtman (pictured) shines in Brahms' concerto.

NIVA Statement on U.S. House Passage of the TICKET ActNIVA, the National Independent Venue Association, has released a statement following the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the TICKET Act earlier today...The speculative ticketing ban in the TICKET Act is an important step toward restoring trust in the ticketing market. Artists, independent venues, and promoters fought tirelessly over the last two years to secure this critical protection. Any national ticketing law must truly ban speculative tickets without exception.Unfortunately the inclusion of a "concierge service" carveout, as written in the TICKET Act, would undermine the speculative ticket ban. Concierge services should not be a loophole for companies like Vivid Seats to claim they are offering a service while selling “tickets” they don't possess to unsuspecting fans. States across the country have proven that strong, loophole-free ticketing consumer protections work, and Congress should build on that momentum. The White House Executive Order on Combating Unfair Practices in the Live Entertainment Market also made clear that deceptive practices must be fixed, not rebranded.We urge Congress to amend language to make certain that “concierge services” do not empower multi-billion dollar resale platforms over consumers. Further, we support strengthening the law with enhanced penalties and enforcement authority for state attorneys general to deter bad actors and help ensure the law is being followed. Illegal bot use runs rampant in the ticketing industry because the FTC has only brought one enforcement action since the use of bots was banned in 2016. We hope Congress does not miss the opportunity to ensure these laws are actually enforced in the future. We look forward to working with the Senate to ensure that fans, venues, and artists are prioritized in the final version of the TICKET Act."  — Stephen Parker, Executive Director of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA)The post NIVA Statement on U.S. House Passage of the TICKET Act first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

TICKET Act passes U.S. House, but key trade groups want moreThe U.S House of Representatives on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed the TICKET Act by a bipartisan vote of 409-15. The bill now heads to the Senate.
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Subscription growth, super-premium, and short-form video’s ‘inadequate monetization’: 7 takeaways from Universal Music Group’s Q1 2025 earnings callSir Lucian Grainge, Michael Nash, and Boyd Muir dug deep into the company's strategy and numbers on their Q1 call
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Labels may be slowing Spotify Superfan launch, hints CEO EkRecord labels may be slowing the Spotify superfan launch, CEO Daniel Ek hinted during an investor call Tuesday announcing the streamer's mixed Q1 2025 Report.
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New Music Critique: Post TraumatikContact: posttraumatik@gmail.comWeb: SpotifySeeking: Album ReviewStyle: RockPost Traumatik describes themselves as “Pittsburgh Rock ‘n’ Roll. Making you drink since 2008.” While this writer won’t be driven to drink by these tracks, there is definitely something about their sound that makes a pint and a mosh all the more appealing. Their music doesn’t ask for permission—it kicks the door in and throws the party anyway. There is essence of Heart peeking through with these guys; the vocals don’t hold back in the slightest, the guitar seriously shreds, and the bass pounds. In “Slow Creep” they sing “Gotta bad feelin’, but it’s alright,” and that pretty much sums up their raw, reckless energy—embracing chaos with a grin and a riff.The post New Music Critique: Post Traumatik first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

YouTube ad revenues jumped 10.3% in Q1 to nearly $9bnAlphabet's ad revenues could face 'headwinds' in Q2 from the ongoing tariff war between the US and China
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How an Independent Artist Sold Out first headline showLearn how a completely independent artist sold out their first headline show. Basyl used nothing but smart strategy, community support, and zero ad spend. From DIY posters to a small paid Instagram boost, his blueprint proves you don’t need a big budget to make a big impact.
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Live Music Industry News: Fans ♥ Live, Shrinking Tours & MoreThis roundup of the latest live music industry news covers topics from a consumer survey on live shows, to UK grassroots dwindling, and more...
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