MRC DATA MIDYEAR REPORT

SPAINMUSIC IS A MUCHmore steadypart of a Spanishconsumer’s media diet, with 62%of consumers citing music as animportant/extremely importantpart of their life (compared to51% in France), and high marksfor music videos (33%) and livestreamed/virtual music events(30%) as well.Spanish music listeners alsoembrace new technology fordifferent listening experiences,including smart TVs (28%) andSPOTLIGHT ON:FRANCE & SPAIN 360FRANCEdive into the latest consumer trends inHOW ARE TWO OFEurope’s most influentialterritories experiencingmusic in 2021? A pair of MRC Data’s mostrecent Music 360 surveys took a deepFRANCE: MUSIC & SOCIAL MEDIA20% 14%of music listenersin France discovermusic on socialmedia sitesof music listenersin France discovermusic on shortvideo clip sitesFrance and Spain. Of the two countries,France is less musically inclined, with75% of the general population engagingwith music (compared to 86% in Spain).French music fans are still slowlysmart speakers (19%).Paid streaming services havepotential to grow in Spain,too: 11% of music listeners arecurrently paying for a service,and 32% of music listeners saythey are likely to subscribe toone in the next six months.The return to live concerts istop of mind, too: 67% of Spain’sgeneral population reportsthey’re planning to attend anin-person music event within thenext year.embracing streaming services, with 29%of music listeners discovering songsthrough audio streaming and only 10%currently paying for a streaming service.While the rate of livestreaming musicperformances and digital events issimilar in France and Spain (France 33%and Spain 35% of general population),SPAIN: MUSIC & SOCIAL MEDIA26% 19%of music listenersin Spain discovermusic on socialmedia sitesof music listenersin Spain discovermusic on shortvideo clip sitesconsumers in France are more engagedTOP MUSIC ACTIVITIES ON SOCIAL SITES1Listento musicyour friendspost2Watchvideosabout musicartistsMRC DATA FRANCE MUSIC 360 202183Followmusicartists orfan pagesthan their Spanish counterparts — with34% of French livestreamers paying fora digital concert or event (compared to27% in Spain) and 52% reporting they’dstill be interested in livestreamed musicTOP MUSIC ACTIVITIES ON SOCIAL SITES123Listento musicyour friendspostWatchvideosabout musicartistsBroadcastyour musichabits/follow fanpagesonce in-person events return (vs. 43% inSpain).MRC DATA SPAIN MUSIC 360 2021

2021 CALENDARHow It’s GoingJAN. 8MORGAN WALLEN’s Dangerous:The Double Album debuts,and subsequently enters theJAN. 20After the INAUGURATION OF JOE BIDEN as the 46th President of the United States,two notable songs debut on the Billboard Hot 100. Tim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard’sBillboard 200 at No. 1 on the“Undivided” enters the Jan. 30-dated chart at No. 76 with sales of 19,100 (up 239%Jan. 23-dated chart. Dangerousfrom the week prior) and 1.9 million streams (up 623%) in the week ending Jan. 21,also lands the largest streamingwhile Ant Clemons’ “Better Days,” featuring Justin Timberlake, debuts at No. 94 withweek ever for a Country albumsales of 21,200 (up 6,929% from the week prior) and 712,000 streams (up 111%).with 240.18 million on-demandstreams,more thandoublingtheWallenThe Weeknd(Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)MARCH 14Despite a major dip in ratings, theprevious63RD ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDSrecordproved that delayed and on- demandheldviewing of performance clips canby Luke Combs with 102.26still drive long-term spikes in musicmillion streams. Wallen isstreams and sales. The Grammyslater caught on camera byhelped send two of the telecast’sTMZ using a derogatoryperformed songs to No. 1 on the Hotracial slur, which prompts100 in the days andiHeartMedia, Audacyweeks following(formerly Entercom) andthe initial airdate:other radio groups to pullhis music from airplay andlabel Big Loud to shelve theirrelationship indefinitely. Despitethese controversies, Dangerousremains at No. 1 on the Billboard200 for 10 weeks — one of onlyfour Country albums to do so inthe list’s history — and finishesthe first half of 2021 as the year’sNo. 1 most-consumed album.9FEB. 7The Weeknd headlines the PEPSIHALFTIME SHOW AT SUPER BOWLLV in Houston, which sends streamsfor his songs surging 42% in the U.S.on Feb. 7 and 8 to a combined 48.9million on-demand streams, up from34.5 million during the two daysprior to the telecast, on Feb. 5 and 6.Cardi B’s “Up” (22.7million streams,18,000 downloadsCardi Band 34.9 million inradio airplay audience impressions theweek ending March 18), and Silk Sonic(Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak)’s“Leave the Door Open” (21.5 millionstreams, 28,600 downloads and CDs,59.1 million radio airplay audienceimpressions the week ending April 11).

DMX(Taylor Hill/WireImage)APRIL 9DMX dies ofa heart attacktriggered by adrug overdoseat the age of 50.Streams of themultiplatinumrapper’s catalogsoar 928% onApril 9 and 10, to75.7 million ondemand streams— up from 7.36million the twodays prior, April 7and 8.MAY 23The 2021 BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS air on NBC, and help toencourage gains and debuts on the following week’s Billboard200 chart (dated June 4) for a number of performers and winners.Tyler, The Creator(Bennett Raglin/Getty Images)Among them: Glass Animals’ Dreamland jumped 76-68 (12,000equivalent album units earned in the week ending May 27, up 7%,according to MRC Data); BTS’ Be (12,000; up 50%), Map of the Soul:7 (123-76; 11,000 — up 29%) and Love Yourself: Answer (152-109;10,000 — up 20%); P!nk’s Greatest Hits So Far!!! (re-entry at No.140 with 8,000; up 26%) and the debut of her new live album AllI Know So Far: Setlist (No. 13 with 28,000); and Twenty One Pilots’Scaled and Icy (debut at No. 3 with 75,000).JUNE 27The 2021 BET AWARDS mark the first televisionperformance of “LUMBERJACK” from Tyler, The Creator’snew album CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST, released two daysprior to the ceremony on June 25. The set debuts atNo. 1 on the July 10-dated Billboard 200 with 169,000equivalent units, garnering the artist his second chartGlass Animalstopper. Additionally, DJ Khaled’s performance of “EveryChance I Get” helps the song post a 13% increase instreams the day following the ceremony.10

ARTIST SPOTLIGHTOlivia Rodrigo582.8m76.1mYear-to-date on-demandNumber of first-week streamsstreams for “drivers license,”for “drivers license,” sparkingthe debut solo single fromits debut at No. 1 on the Jan.the 18-year-old High School23-dated Billboard Hot 100.Musical: The Musical: The SeriesThe tally is the highest forstar, helping make it thea first single from a femalemost-streamed andartist with proper promotionmost-consumed songat radio, streaming servicesof 2021 to date.and other platforms.295kFirst-week equivalentunits earned for Rodrigo’sdebut album, SOUR,making it the year’s biggestweek for any album to date(buoyed by 300.73 millionon-demand streams of thealbum’s 11 tracks).“There is an emotional resonance withall great art, and it is no differentwith “drivers license,” as Oliviacaptured a feeling shared by millionsof music fans across the globe.The DSPs help propel the song viaaggressive playlisting. In addition,Gen Z helped spread the song to awider audience via social platforms,which exploded in popularity whilepeople were in lockdown.Chief revenue officer/global head ofstreaming & strategy, Interscope Records11Grant SpanierGary Kelly

ARTIST SPOTLIGHTTaylor Swift291k102kFirst-week equivalent albumFirst-week vinyl sales forunits earned for Fearlessevermore, which was released(Taylor’s Version), making it theon May 28. The vinyl salesbiggest week for a Country— powered by five monthsalbum since 2015 and theof preorders — helpedbiggest sales week (179,000),evermore return to No. 1 onat the time, for any albumthe Billboard 200 and earnedsince Swift’s own folkloreSwift a new record for theentered the Aug. 8-datedhighest single-week vinylBillboard 200 at No. 1 withsales in MRC Data’s 30-year615,000 sold.history, shattering the record142.98mFirst-week on-demandpreviously held by the debutof Jack White’s Lazaretto(40,000 sold in the weekending June 15, 2014).streams for Fearless (Taylor’sVersion), shattering the recordfor biggest streaming weekfor a Country album by afemale (44.67 million streamsfor Brenda Lee’s Rockin’Around the Christmas Tree: TheDecca Christmas Recordingson the Jan. 2, 2021-datedFrancis Specker/CBS/Getty ImagesBillboard 200).12

ARTIST SPOTLIGHTSZA322.3mNumber of year-to-datestreams for “Good Days”(released on Dec. 25, 2020),helping make it the No. 8most-consumed song for thefirst six months of 2021.271mNumber of year-to-datestreams for Doja Cat’s “KissMe More,” featuring SZA,helping make it the No. 19most-consumed song for thefirst six months of 2021.“SZA is a cultural reset. She came ata time when music was moving ina certain direction and served asa paradigm shift. Her raw honestyand colorful wordplay mixed withnontraditional melodic choices arewhat propelled her to the forefront.“Good Days” is confirmation of this.Terrence “Punch” HendersonPresident, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE)13

VINYL’S BOOMCONTINUES2020 MARKED VINYL’S 15TH CONSECUTIVEyear of sales growth, and 2021 has alreadyseen major milestones for the format.For the first time at the midyear pointin MRC Data’s history (since 1991), vinyl album“COVID-related production setbacks in 2020 thatEilish’s highly anticipated Happier Than EverIn theseunprecedentedtimes it is thelabels’ and artists’continued focus onthe fan connectionvia collectible,bespoke offerings,the addition ofincredibly stronghip-hop and popreleases that areconverting newgenerations intovinyl fans andthe never-endingreason for vinyl’sascendence: It’seternally cool.manufacturers are still catching up from. Case inand again in the fall when Taylor Swift’sBilly Fieldspoint: Ariana Grande’s Positions, originally releasedFearless (Taylor’s Version) is released on vinylto streaming services on Oct. 30, 2020, was finallyNov. 19, seven months after its initial releaseVp sales and vinylstrategist, WEAavailable in vinyl LP format on April 9, sparking ato streaming services.sales outpace CD album sales — with vinyl albumvolume at 19.2 million versus CD album volume at18.9 million.Record Store Day 2021’s first drop, held on June12, was the third-largest week for vinyl album salesin MRC Data’s 30-year history tracking the format.1,614% increase in sales the week endingU.S. record stores sold 1.279 million vinyl albumsApril 15 — with 32,000 vinyl copies sold,in the week ending June 17, with a record 942,000enough to tally the third-highest vinyl salesvinyl albums sold at independent record stores —week for an album since MRC Data beganthe largest week ever for vinyl sales at the indietracking the format in 1991. (Taylor Swift’ssector in MRC Data history.evermore saw an even bigger surge upon itsGrowth for vinyl comes at a turning point,which is struggling to keep up with demand amidMay 28 release [see page 12 for more].)Expect a similar surge in late July for BillieCHILL-THEMED PLAYLISTS USHER INA NEW ERA FOR NEW AGEA record number of Americans working and learning fromhome this past year has translated to a record amount of“chill-” and “study-” themed playlists using music as a focusaid. Songs classified as “New Age” are at the center of thistrend, with overall consumption of the genre up 21.2% yearto-date, and an additional 20.8% surge in Classical — bothoutpacing year-to-date increases for Hip-Hop/Rap, Rock,Dance/Electronic and Country (with New Age also exceedingPop’s year-to-date growth).14

ARIANA GRANDE’SHAT TRICKSPOTLIGHT ON: RADIOFor the first time in the 29-year“history of Billboard’s Pop Airplaychart, Ariana Grande scoresthree simultaneous top 10 hitson the tally dated May 15: “POV”at No. 10 (up from No. 13 theweek prior) and former No. 1sThere was a perfect stormbrewing for this song, whichis complex; there are severalhooks throughout, with manychanges in tone and cadence.This also speaks to the factthat we have seen very littleburn on this record. Radiocertainly helped to thrust thesong into the marketplaceinitially. Subsequently, TikTokabsolutely stimulated themarketplace and gave itafterburners.“Positions” at No. 6 and “34 35”at No. 9. During the first sixmonths of 2021, the three radiosingles from Grande’s albumPositions have accumulated acombined 1.11 million spins onall formats combined.BTS’ HOT ‘BUTTER’BTS’ “Butter” scores the group its bestMike Chesterbow to date on Billboard’s all-genre RadioExecutive vp promotion,Warner RecordsSongs chart with a No. 39 entrance onthe chart dated June 5 (2020’s “Dynamite”entered at No. 49 last September). In itsfirst two weeks at radio, “Butter” reachedLIPA’S ‘LEVITATING’RESURFACES22.4 million in all-format airplay audience,BTS’ fastest run to that audience mark.After a No. 4 Pop Airplay peak inMainstream top 40 has been the song’sJanuary, DUA LIPA’s “Levitating”most active format to date, helpingre-entered the chart in May (after“Butter” reach the top 15 on Pop Airplaytwo months off) following ain just its third week.resurgence from TikTok and otherplatforms. The song’s renewedpopularity at the format helps itreach No. 1 at last on the chartdated June 19.Radio Is Here To Stay18%of radio listenersreport spending moretime with radio(vs. prior two weeks) *COVID-19: TRACKING THE IMPACT ON THE ENTERTAINMENT LANDSCAPE (U.S.) - RELEASE 1015Lipa“Everybody wins when the biggestgroup in the world delivers a purepop smash like “Butter,” just intime for summer. Thanks to U.S.radio, the success of “Dynamite”opened the eyes and ears of a vastnew audience who were genuinelyexcited about this next hit from BTS.These things together, along withthe incredible ARMY, positioned“Butter” for a bigger, broader andfaster single launch — not just at top40, but now hot adult contemporaryand rhythm radio as well.Matt Stevens,SVP, Promotion, Columbia Records

CATALOG ACQUISITION BOOMAND NFTS LEAD LATEST MUSICMONETIZATION TRENDSStreams, sales and concerts aren’tthe only positive trendlines for musicright now. Music catalog acquisitionsare heating up the private-equitymarketplace, with legacy artists likeBob Dylan, Paul Simon and Stevie Nicksselling stakes in their master and/orpublishing rights for hundreds of millionsof dollars based on valuations fueled byconsumptionstats like MRCWiz KhalifaData’s — and inrecent weeks,even newerartists like JonasBrothers, WIZLIVESTREAMSAND ZOOM FATIGUEAT THE BEGINNING OFboom in March and April 2020,2020, livestreams werethere was a slow decline that settledan afterthought or ainto a soft up-and-down bouncepotential add-on forfrom month to month. But ina promotional event. By April,2021, the drop-off has been moreartists of all genres and sizes weresignificant, with consecutive dips ofscrambling to figure out how to14%, 21% and 7%, respectively, inmaximize the digital experienceMarch, April and May.as a cornerstone of an albumThough down from the mid-campaign or to keep fans engaged2020 peak, an average of 129 newbetween cycles. And now, bylivestreams were announcedthe middle of 2021, the future ofevery day in May 2021. This islivestreaming is taking shape, justan indication that although liveas live concerts prep their return.concerts are returning, which willAccording to Bandsintown data,inevitably cut into the urgency26,045 livestreams have been listedof livestream events, at leaston its site since the beginning ofinitially, they remain part of thethe year, an average of 164 eachmusic industry’s forward-thinkingday. This is a healthy number, butapproach, one that may combinedown 28% from the daily averagethe in-person and the virtual wellthroughout 2020. After the initialinto 2022.16KHALIFA andJulia Michaelsare cashing inon the trend.NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, have alsobecome a new revenue stream for artiststo distribute music and artwork: FromFebruary 25 to April 25, 2021, alone,musicians made an estimated 55.7million from NFT sales, based on a report“from Water & Music.FITNESS TECH’S MUSIC BOOMOne of the fastest growing sectors for musicmonetization is fitness tech, where UMG haslicensed more music to subscription exerciseservices and health and wellness apps thanany other music company. More and morepeople say they enjoy the convenience ofdigital fitness apps and the engagement ofsubscription services that optimize theirworkouts by creatively integrating music.Fit Tech is currently a predominantly U.S.centric phenomenon, so there is an excitingopportunity for further expansion as moreand more services launch internationally.Michael Nashexecutive vp digital strategy,Universal Music Group

Masked WolfRAPPOP SMOKE’S SHOOT FOR THE STARS AIM FOR THE MOONcontinues to do brisk business, a year after its release,as the set rules as the most popular Rap album so farin 2021 (948,000 equivalent album units earned). Thealbum was released on July 3, 2020, and finished 2020 as thethird-biggest album of the year across all genres.On the songs side of things, tracks by Cardi B (“Up”) andMASKED WOLF (“Astronaut in the Ocean”) were among themost-consumed Rap tunes at midyear — while concurrentlyflourishing on TikTok. In the world of radio, 24kGoldn’s 2020release “Mood,” featuring Iann Dior, continued to dominateairwaves in the early part of 2021 and is the midyear biggestRap song on the radio.17

RAPTOP ALBUMSTop Albums: Ranked by equivalent album units, comprising album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit one album sale, or10 tracks sold from an album, or 1,250 premium on-demand streams // 3,750 ad-supported on-demand streams by songs from an album.ARTISTTITLEALBUM TEA ON-DEMAND SEA1POP SMOKEShoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon948,0002LIL DURKThe Voice735,0003LIL BABYMy Turn696,0004JUICE WRLDLegends Never Die660,0005MONEYBAGG YOA Gangsta’s Pain629,000TOP SONGSTop Songs: Ranked by traditional digital song sales SES units, where 125 premium streams one song // 375 ad-supported streams one song.ARTISTTITLESONG SALES SES ON-DEMAND STREAMS1CARDI B“Up”2,529,0002MASKED WOLF“Astronaut in the Ocean”2,474,0003POOH SHIESTY FEAT. LIL DURK“Back in Blood”2,215,0004SPOTEM GOTTEM“Beatbox”2,112,0005POLO G“Rapstar”2,097,000TOP RADIO SONGS*Top Radio Songs: Ranked by audience impressions across all monitored formats of radio, arrived at by cross-referencing MRC Data song radio plays withlistener information compiled by the Nielsen Audio ratings system to determine the approximate number of audience* impressions made for each play.ARTISTSONGAUDIENCESPINS124KGOLDN FEAT. IANN DIOR“Mood”1,395,020,800536,0002POP SMO

Billboard‘s weekly sales charts. SoundScan revolutionized the way music sales were measured and forever changed how artists were promoted, discovered and playlisted (first at radio, and eventually streaming services). These 38 pages cover all the biggest trends to date in music consumption for the six-month period from Jan. 1, 2021,