Teddy Swims, Pinoy Climbs and Billie Jumps

Question: Which artist wanted Billie Eilish to beat their record? The Weeknd, Tylor Swift, or Drake?

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Teddy Swims Lands Billion Streams

If you haven't had "Lose Control" on repeat yet, you might just be one of the rare few left. Teddy Swims' soulful track went viral almost overnight on TikTok, capturing hearts and racking up streams at a eye-watering rate.

TikTok has proven itself to be a launchpad for artists, turning tracks into instant earworms and pushing streaming numbers into the stratosphere. Teddy’s rise to the Billion Streams Club is a testament to that, and what makes it even sweeter? This is his very first track to hit that milestone.

After snagging the number one spot on the Billboard 100 in March, Teddy's "Lose Control" continued its meteoric rise, hitting a billion streams on Spotify as of August 18th.

It’s a moment that’s been a long time coming, and we’re looking forward to the future for Teddy. 

“Lose Control” is from his September 2023 release “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1).” Heard it? Love it? Let us know.

YouTube Music Growth

Often considered to be the underdog of music streaming services, YouTube Music has come out swinging in Q2. Data shows that YouTube Music is the most adopted streaming service in Q2. Both Entertainment on Demand and FreeYourMusic figures show that streamers are switching.

FreeYourMusic data shows it is the third most popular playlist transfer, after Spotify to Apple Music and Apple Music to Spotify. Recently released Entertainment on Demand user research shows that YouTube Music was the #1 most adopted music streaming service in Q2 2024.

Step Aside K & J-Pop. Pinoy is here. 

K-pop and J-pop have taken the world by storm, dominating charts and winning hearts globally. K-pop kicked off its meteoric rise in the early '90s with Seo Taiji and Boys, while J-Pop’s roots go back to the 1960s with Kyu Sakamoto before exploding internationally in the '90s with icons like Hikaru Utada. 

But now, Pinoy Pop or P-Pop is making noise, too. 

P-pop is an introduction to the rising music genre coming out of the Philippines. It is an often overlooked region when it comes to music. Acts like BGYO, MNL48 and SB19 are leading the charge, but there are more acts that you should get familiar with - asap. 

K-pop's global dominance continues, with album exports up 17.1% in 2023 and the U.S. now the second-largest market ​(K-POP LIFE). J-pop remains strong, especially in New York, with artists like YOASOBI gaining traction​ (K-POP LIFE). Groups like SB19 and BGYO are rising in popularity, while P-pop is growing quickly. 

With this growth, expect P-pop to soon compete on the global stage alongside K-pop and J-pop. But what do you prefer, J, K, or P? 

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Are Superfans Getting Physical?

The role of merchandise has always been present in the music industry. That hasn’t changed even with the introduction of streaming.  The growth of streaming platforms has been spotty lately, which our regular readers will know. Since we are talking millions and billions, a 20% slide in a single day is significant. 

Music streaming companies are more comfortable than ever due to those economic factors (the Stay Inside period of the 2020s) that exploded their growth. But we are hitting a new era, Spotify as an entertainment hub, a huge price reduction on some services like TIDAL, and longer trials (Apple Music is three months right now). 

The slow in streaming subscriptions and the rise and thrive of physical merch and vinyl are slowing and growing in unison. 

According to data, vinyl sales are booming right now. In the first half of 2023, they increased by 21.7%, marking the 16th year of continued growth. The fuel on the fire was big artists like Lana Del Rey, Taylor Swift, and others producing vinyl.

Is analog back in for good?

Billie Goes Big

Finishing up this week's issue with Billie Eilish. Her music is everywhere, and she has scored some massive collabs, too. In the last few weeks, speculation started: Would Billie become the most streamed monthly artist on Spotify? Would she surpass The Weeknd?

With a huge boost of fan support and a tweet from The Weeknd himself, Billie blasted past and secured the number 1 spot with just 78 tracks, while The Weeknd has 283 and Taylor Swift has 590. 

HIT ME HARD AND SOFT racked up a massive 2.7 billion streams on Spotify in just three months. 

So congratulations, Billie, on being the youngest female artist in history to hold the #1 spot for most monthly listeners on Spotify, and good luck on the predicted top 2 albums with the most days at #1 in Apple Music Global history.

#1. WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP — 95
#2. Midnights — 84
#3. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT —  80*

Answer: Of course, The Weeknd! That's correct. So if you read carefully, we believe this wasn't a tough question, though it might be a tricky one. 😉

Quick tips: 

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