Music research and analytics platform Viberate published its annual “State of Music” report, highlighting the artists that dominated social media and music apps in 2021 and the trends that will be hot in 2022.
Viberate analyzed massive amounts of data (more than a trillion data points, thousands of artists and playlists, millions of tracks and videos, and hundreds of festivals) gathered from key social media and music channels such as Spotify, TikTok, Instagram, Beatport and radio.
According to the report, of all the analyzed artists, only 1 percent rule social media and music channels. The biggest share of engagement and fanbase growth belongs to the top 500 artists based on the report.
Viberate noted that hip-hop and K-Pop artists are dominating in streaming but are snubbed on the radio.
Online engagement data show hip-hop and K-pop as two of the most popular genres but radio is about pop and rock.
“Multilingual (non-English) tracks thrive online but seem to have trouble getting through radio gatekeepers. Trends suggest that may yet change in 2022,” according to Viberate.
It said that based on data, some of the trends that will define the music business in 2022 are: multilingual music going more mainstream, personalization at the forefront, TikTok acting as a career launchpad, short videos gaining power, and further blending of genres.
According to Viberate, multilingual music will become more mainstream. K-pop superstars BTS made it to Viberate’s top 5 list on almost every channel, while YouTube saw a huge rise in the popularity of Asian Pop and Latin genres (especially Reggaeton).
“Unlike radio or TV, online music channels have little to no gatekeepers, thus pushing non-English music into the mainstream,” it said.
TikTok will act as a career launchpad, it said. TikTok became the most visited website in 2021, it said, as it also helped artists like Tokischa, Will Paquin or Crawlers break through and boost their streaming numbers.
It noted that in a way, Spotify “seals the deal” – the artists who transform a TikTok hit into solid streams are the ones with real potential.
Short videos will rule, Viberate said, as “easily digestible formats such as TikTok videos will be the most useful promotional format for artists to stand out and get discovered. As audiences celebrate the DIY approach, content will be more important than production value.”
Here are the artists that dominated social media and music apps in 2021, according to Viberate:
SPOTIFY
“Popstars dominate. Considering his fanbase size, growth and streams, Justin Bieber won Spotify in 2021. However, it was the year of Olivia Rodrigo, whose debut album rocked the streaming game (her follower count increased by more than 50 times),” according to the report.
The top 5 artists on Spotify are Justin Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo, Ariana Grande, BTS and Billie Eilish.
YOUTUBE
The top 5 artists on YouTube are BLACKPINK, BTS, Bad Bunny, Rauw Alejandro and Bruno Mars.
SOUNDCLOUD
“The average top performer on SoundCloud is American, male and makes Trap music. At #2, K-Pop sensation BTS are the exception that proves the rule,” the report stated.
The top 5 artists on Spotify are Polo G, BTS, NBA YoungBoy, Lil Baby and Lil Durk.
“It’s all about K-Pop. Their extremely engaged fanbase makes South Korean popstars the best-performing artists on Twitter. Crashing the party are Ariana Grande at #7 and Lil Nas X at #8,” according to Viberate.
The top 5 artists on Twitter in 2021 are BTS, Treasure, Seventeen, ATEEZ and Stray Kids.
TIKTOK
“TikTok engagement and fanbase growth were analyzed in the second half of 2021,” according to the report.
The top 5 artists on Tiktok in the second half of 2021 are Kim Loaiza, Lil Nas X, Oliver Tree, BTS and Lizzo.
