Chartmetric

Can data predict the Grammys? 🏆 With the 68th Grammy Awards right around the corner, we took a data-first approach to see which nominees are best positioned to win music’s biggest night. Using Chartmetric insights, we’re breaking down the strongest contenders across Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. 📈 Album of the Year spotlight Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS emerges as the clearest frontrunner. The album paired massive commercial success with critical acclaim, marking a defining moment in Latin music. Since its January release, it held a perfect 100 on Spotify’s Popularity Index for more than half the year—never dropping below 92,  an unmatched level of sustained momentum among this year’s nominees. To find out more, read full piece by Emad Khatab here: https://lnkd.in/eT23G6uW

TikTok’s music charts move very differently from every other platform. In 2025, over 3,600 songs appeared on TikTok’s Top 50, far more than any platform. Spotify’s Top 50, by comparison, featured just 439 songs across the entire year. Apple Music and iTunes sat somewhere in between. That gap comes down to turnover. Songs cycle in and out of TikTok’s charts at a much faster pace, driven by short-form trends and rapid discovery. Meanwhile, streaming charts reward longevity and repeat listening. Therefore, a Top 50 placement doesn’t carry the same meaning everywhere. On TikTok, speed and volatility define success. For more industry insights, check out our 2025 Year In Music report: https://lnkd.in/eBEFEjJn

In our latest Figures in Music interview, we speak with Joe Fleischer , Publisher of Setlist.fm, the community-built platform tracking what artists actually play on stage. Today, Setlist.fm hosts 9.7M setlists across 434K artists, all 100% user-generated, with 12–13M monthly visitors spending an average of 8 minutes per visit. That scale isn’t driven by algorithms or labels, but by fans documenting shows in real time. Fleischer explains how this crowdsourced model has modernized touring data, shaping everything from encore structures to how artists rethink setlists city by city, and why the platform’s accuracy improves as the community grows. We also dig into emerging trends Setlist.fm is seeing across live music, including how encores are evolving and how artists themselves now use setlist data to inform tour decisions. Read the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/e4J-VAMk

Chartmetric is excited to present the third edition of our Year in Music report, diving into the sounds, stats, and standout trends of 2025. 🌟 📊 This year's analysis dives deep into how global listening behavior, chart performance, and industry dynamics evolved last year across streaming, festivals, sync, and songwriting. With data from 13 million artist and 145 million tracks, join us as we explore the defining moments of 2025 in music. 🎶 Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eWPjbZny #musicindustry #musicbusiness #musictech #musicdata #streaming

How Anonymity Is Powering Breakout Success in Music In an era defined by oversharing, branding stunts, and algorithmic pressure, a growing number of breakout artists are finding success by staying elusive. This year's biggest breakthroughs in UK rap came without an artist ever showing his face. EsDeeKid built massive momentum while remaining anonymous, growing his Spotify monthly listeners by 11 million over the past year. The surge extends beyond streaming, with his SoundCloud plays jumping by 17.8 million over the same period. And he’s not alone. In our latest piece by Ben Jolley, we explore how anonymity, limited access, and letting the music lead are resonating with audiences—and where this approach fits within today’s attention-driven music ecosystem: https://lnkd.in/ebG9eQUq

Holiday music is shifting and the data shows it’s getting noticeably sadder. Across Spotify’s major holiday playlists, the share of newly added tracks tagged “melancholic” has been increasing from 2021. Listeners are no longer just replaying the classics anymore; they’re actively gravitating toward emotionally heavier holiday music. In our latest analysis, we break down the artists and industry forces driving this shift. From Phoebe Bridgers’ spectral covers to Sabrina Carpenter’s heart-first holiday ballads, a new wave of releases is redefining what a modern Christmas hit can sound like. Cheerful evergreens still lead the season, but an emerging lane of anti-festive, melancholic tracks is gaining real traction. Read the full story by April Clare Welsh here: https://lnkd.in/e_xa2dsR

Finding accurate contact info in the global music industry used to be nearly impossible. Mark Williamson, CEO and Co-Founder of ROSTR, has changed that. He turned a manually curated directory of 15,000 artists into a multifaceted platform where 75% of data now comes directly from labels, managers, agencies, and artists themselves. In our latest interview, Williamson shares how ROSTR is creating a more transparent, collaborative music industry, as well as unpacking the emerging trends reshaping artist management. Read the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/ej7HAA4w

2025 has officially become the year of bassline’s big bounce back. From PinkPantheress and Jorja Smith embracing the sound to UK producers like Denon Reed pushing it back into the charts, the once-maligned genre is now one of the fastest-rising scenes in British dance music. Our latest article breaks down the data behind bassline’s resurgence, the artists leading the movement, and how streaming platforms and social trends have helped fuel its comeback. Read full analysis by Ben Jolley here: https://lnkd.in/eH9V5Fbz

From Lorde singing along to her own track in Washington Square Park to The All-American Rejects throwing literal house parties, pop-up sets have become one of the most effective ways to cut through today’s saturated music landscape. And the numbers speak for themselves: - Lorde’s one-song pop-up in NYC boosted her Spotify monthly listeners from 21.5M to 34.6M in under a month, plus 300K new Instagram followers. - The All-American Rejects’ House Party Tour sparked a sharp spike in Spotify monthly listeners and doubling their Instagram following, from 220.9K to 450.8K. Pop-ups seem to be redefining fan connection, fueling user-generated content, and creating cultural moments that traditional promo can’t replicate.  Full analysis by Harry Levin on How Music Charts: https://lnkd.in/eCrw8Kc7

We’re proud to support Keychange US, an award-winning nonprofit working to build a more equitable music industry for women and gender-expansive artists and executives. From mentorship to community building, to showcase and speaking opportunities and funding pathways, Keychange U.S. is investing in the future of music — one that reflects the diversity of the artists and leaders shaping it. Every donation made this holiday season is matched up to $100K by our friends at TuneCore, doubling the impact of your gift. Join us in amplifying the Keychange U.S. movement and donate to their Year End Fundraising Campaign: keychangeus.com/donate OR direct link: https://lnkd.in/gkn6Zr6X #KeychangeUS #GenderEquityInMusic #GivingTuesday #WomenInMusic