The Three Types of Superstars in Music

It’s never been easier for artists to release music and find an audience in any corner of the world. Likewise, it’s never been more difficult for artists to break through the noise. The Internet and streaming services have created a double-edged sword for rising artists. To discuss this, Tatiano Cirisano joined me on the show. Tati is a music analyst at MIDiA Research and a former reporter at Billboard.

Tati released a research piece a few weeks ago that argues the music industry is oversaturated and fragmented — more than ever before. This shift has created a new class system for artists.

In Group 1 are artists that reached prominence pre-streaming in a less cluttered marketplace (e.g. Beyonce or AC/DC). GroupClass 2 consists of artists who rose in parallel with the proliferation of streaming. Drake and Taylor Swift fall into this category. And then there’s the GroupClass 3, that includes newer artists, who try to cultivate audiences in today’s hyper-competitive landscape against the other two groups.

Tati believes the trend line for the music industry’s fragmentation is clearly pointing up. To understand how we got here, why it matters, and how it redefines success, you’ll want to listen to our interview. Here’s our biggest talking points:

1:04 Why consumption is now fragmented
5:00 Music superstars losing their reach
7:15 Modern artists valuing fame less than prior generations
13:05 Benefits to fragmentation
15:40 Updated benchmark for artist success
21:00 Active vs. passive listening
22:15 Music industry is still tied to album sales
25:40 Artists segmenting audiences by platform
31:30 Trap of taking users off native platforms
34:30 Content is becoming more important than the creator
39:43 YouTube and other potential outlier platforms for audience-building

You can read Tati’s full report here: https://midiaresearch.com/blog/music-is-not-a-level-playing-field-it-is-a-field-of-all-levels

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