On June 18th, a conference will be held at The Steel Yard in London.
Stream League, launched by Kieron Donoghue – previously associated with WMG, ShareMyPlaylists, and Humble Angel Records – is described as “a free weekly fantasy draft for music industry professionals.” Each Friday, the site presents the songs featured on Spotify’s ‘New Music Friday’ playlist, challenging participants to select the 10 they believe will accumulate the most streams in the subsequent week.
Stream League monitors these streams – currently limited to Spotify – and ranks players based on their predictions. Donoghue intends for Stream League to generate a “dataset on industry consensus and dissent around new music,” with plans to release a weekly report called ‘The Numbers’ analyzing the collected data.
During the week of May 15-21, four of the ten most-streamed new tracks were not selected by any participants in Stream League’s beta test. “There are tracks the industry collectively bets on that go nowhere, and tracks almost no one picks that explode,” Donoghue stated. “Over time, the data will show us who in the industry has the sharpest ears, and where collective taste diverges from what audiences actually stream.”
Stream League has now launched and is seeking participation from A&R, marketing, editorial, and management professionals within the music industry.
Donoghue’s project arrives at a time when understanding pop albums recognized as defining the streaming era is crucial for industry professionals.
The focus on stream counts also aligns with the broader conversation around reaching 10,000 streams, a key milestone for independent artists.
