New-age musical genres — like R&B and rap, Latin, and electronic/dance — continue to push music consumption towards digital channels, while genres that often cater to older audiences — like Christian/Gospel, Jazz, Rock and Classical — tend to still be consumed via physical albums, according to Nielsen's Music's Mid-Year 2019 report.
The big takeaway: Overall, streaming (both in audio and music video) is way up, and the total number of people actually paying to own albums is way down.
Other key takeaways:
- Rap and R&B dominates charts when it comes to the overall consumption of music. 7 of the top 10 artists so far this year are rappers or hip-hop artists.
- Consumption of music from artists facing scandals actually increased a lot. Michael Jackson's music saw an uptick in consumption following the release of HBO's damning "Finding Neverland" documentary. R. Kelly, who's been accused by multiple woman of rape, also saw a lift.
- Vinyl continues its comeback: Vinyl record sales continue to climb this year, making vinyl the only type of physical album that's still growing in sales.
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