Music streaming in the U.S.

The study begins with an exploration of global music streaming before delving deeper into the state of the music scene in the United States and providing context for the drop in sales and consumption of physical formats. The report then investigates the performance of key music streaming services. From subscriber numbers to artist payments, this chapter pitches market leader Spotify against its closest competitors as well as smaller but significant members of the streaming business like Tidal and Deezer.

Moving on to consumption, the report investigates the role of listeners when it comes to the ultimate impact of streaming on creators and looks at the growing interest in podcasts, whilst also considering the decline of physical music in context of the value streaming services provide. The report also critiques the music streaming subscription model and culminates with a hypothesis of how the market could look in the future if this were to be altered and re-conceptualized.