Nielsen US year-end music report 2017

The Nielsen US year-end music report 2017 examines the trends shaping the music industry with definitive consumption figures and charts.

The surge in streaming continued throughout 2017, topping all forms of music consumption. The industry had another record-breaking year, with 12.5% growth in music consumption year over year.

For the first time ever, R&B/Hip-Hop became the most dominant genre in the U.S., with nine of the Top 10 most-consumed songs coming from that genre, including breakthrough hits by new artists Migos, Post Malone and Cardi B.

Latin music history was made when Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee’s Spanish language smash “Despacito” and its crossover remix featuring Justin Bieber topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Ed Sheeran’s “Shape Of You” spent the most-ever weeks in the Hot 100’s Top 10. And Sam Hunt’s “Body Like A Back Road” helped drive Country music consumption growth for the year while crossing over into the Pop charts.

Vinyl records experienced sales growth for the 12th consecutive year, and over the air radio remained the top source of new music discovery. On-demand streaming continues to be music’s fastest growing vertical, having experienced a 59% increase in 2017. It owes much of its success to hip-hop, which accounted for nine of the 10 most streamed artists.

The report contains information on: