A conference is scheduled for Thursday, June 18th, at The Steel Yard in London.
Emerging Trends to be Discussed
The event will examine developing technologies, trends, and concepts anticipated to influence the music industry, alongside the evolving preferences of new audiences and entrepreneurs.
Recent studies from various research firms have provided data on changes in music consumption. Luminate published a study this month examining superfandom across different generations. The findings indicated that superfans are primarily younger, with Gen Alpha representing 31%, Gen Z at 24%, and Millennials at 25% of the group. Gen X and Boomers accounted for 19% and 10% respectively. Gen Alpha is more likely than older demographics to engage in activities such as attending performances, discussing artists with others, purchasing merchandise, and sharing content on social media.
Instagram and Superfan Engagement
A separate report commissioned by Instagram and conducted by Luminate found that 58% of music superfans utilize Instagram to connect with artists and music content, establishing it as a significant platform for music engagement. The study also revealed that approximately 32% of Instagram’s daily music users qualify as superfans. The report suggested Instagram users demonstrate higher engagement with live music events, artist followings, and vinyl purchases compared to users of other platforms.
Genre Trends and Hip-Hop’s Influence
SoundCloud’s ‘Music Intelligence Report’ identified ‘Eclectic New Indie’ as a rising genre, experiencing a stream increase of over 250% in the past year, with 89% of listeners being from Gen Z. The report also noted the continued influence of hip-hop across various other genres, countering narratives of its decline.
A survey of nearly 1,600 independent artists conducted by Rap Fame indicated a fluidity of genre boundaries, with over 83% of respondents working across multiple sub-genres. Trap and drill remain prominent, while boom bap continues to be popular. The survey also predicted a shift towards melodic rap and experimental sounds in the coming year.
Pop Music and Streaming Data
An analytics firm reported a ‘pop slump’ beginning in 2025 and continuing into the current year. The number of breakout hits and top-charting singles decreased, with 23 tracks reaching the top charts in the first half of 2025, compared to 49 in the same period the previous year. New releases also had a slow start in 2026, accounting for only 3.5% of Spotify’s Global Top 50 chart in January.
Data from Luminate’s 2025 annual report revealed that 120.5 million tracks received 10 streams or fewer, with an additional 62.6 million receiving between 11 and 100 streams, and 40.7 million receiving between 101 and 1,000 streams. This means that 88% of all available tracks were streamed fewer than 1,000 times in 2025. Specifically, 55.3 million tracks received no streams at all.
Afro House Gains Popularity
Splice, a sound source for musicians, collaborated with Midia Research and found house music experienced significant growth on its platform in 2025, rising from fifth to second place in genre downloads. This growth was largely driven by the Afro house sub-genre.
