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On a recent trip to New York, I spoke on a panel discussing the state of the global music industry. During the Q&A, someone asked, “When will the day come that Taylor Swift isn’t the biggest artist in the world?”
Answer: She already isn’t.
Now, maybe it’s a matter of perspective. From a Western vantage point, it’s a valid question. Given Swift’s ubiquitous media coverage, it’s hard to imagine a day when she isn’t at the top of our industry. In the past year alone, she has broken records, won awards, and inspired fans. But her achievements are only one slice of the global picture.
The music industry is increasingly interconnected, with content moving across markets and access to that content expanding in ways many do not see. With that comes the opportunity to reach massive populations from emerging markets, whose focus rests on domestic artists and local language content. I think a future where the next big global star arises from somewhere other than the U.S. is barreling towards us, and they won’t be singing in English.
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My confidence here is informed by my home, the United Arab Emirates, which sits at the intersection of Asia, Africa, and Europe, and has a population representing over 200 nationalities. I am deeply embedded in this region and its music industry, and I have firsthand exposure to music’s evolution in these markets, watching the increasing dominance of local language music and recognizing how it is reshaping pop culture. That change is happening quickly across listenership, subscription growth, access to music and more.
Evaluating a superstar from the West against a superstar from the East is not an apples-to-apples comparison. There is important context missing from the raw numbers, particularly in available streaming metrics, which fail to fully represent the consumption in the East or the potential for monetization in the years to come.
The multinational streaming platforms have thoroughly established themselves as the leaders in monetization. For example, Spotify has carved out a reputation as the market leader with over 602 million monthly active users globally, 236 million of which are paying. However, those multinational platforms are relatively new to the MENA region and other emerging markets and are still building a user base. In contrast, domestic streaming platforms in the wider region have had longer to build a strong user base (e.g., India’s Gaana boasts 200 million monthly active users), but their monetization hasn’t caught up yet.
However, if we look at the sheer market size, the opportunity in emerging markets is undeniable. The populations of the U.S. (330 million) and the U.K. (67 million) are dwarfed when compared to India (1.4 billion), MENA (489 million people), Pakistan (243 million), or Nigeria (227 million). Music consumption in some of these markets is already outpacing the West (in rate of growth) and will soon surpass the West (in volume).
The data is there. Emerging markets have been the major driver of global subscription growth since 2021, and Goldman Sachs’s 2024 Music in the Air reports their contribution is expected to reach 70% by 2030. In Luminate’s 2023 report they highlighted that India’s streaming volume increased by nearly half a trillion streams year-over-year vs. 184 billion for the U.S. At that rate, particularly as the U.S. reaches a point of saturation, we could see India surpass the U.S. in consumption this year.
You might think that the increased availability and monetization of streaming platforms in emerging markets would translate to the Taylor Swifts of the West reaching even more listeners. The truth is those listeners increasingly care more about their own domestic stars and regional music culture than what the West exports to them.
YouTube launched globally in 2005 and has long been the established service for streaming and discovering music, thereby more adequately reflecting music listening preferences in the region. If we look specifically at Swift, there is no denying she is massively popular on the platform. On YouTube’s Global Music Charts for April 19-25 (the week her latest album dropped), she sat squarely at #1. However, eight of the Top 10 songs that week were actually non-English releases by artists from around the world. How many of you know the Bhojpuri hit “Maroon Color Sadiya” (which was #3 that same week)? Expand that to the Top 40, and only eight songs are in English. This is only on YouTube; consider the impact of additional domestic streaming platforms, which are even more skewed toward local language artists in each market.
Local language matters; the era of pop music being defined as “Anglo-American” is over. Looking at streams per day in India in 2023, Statista found Hindi represented over 40% versus English’s 25% share. What’s more, vernacular language and regional music, which made up the remaining 34%, was notably the fastest-growing genre from 2020 to 2023. In its 2023 report, Luminate highlighted how the share of English language music declined by 12% globally since 2021, while the share of Hindi music has essentially doubled. Even in the U.S., the share of English language content is down 3.8% since 2021.
The global diaspora which is consuming Arabic, Hindi, and other global languages is in the West too, augmenting the shift I’m describing. The meteoric transformation of K-pop into a global phenomenon is a particularly strong example of this expansion, thanks to groups like BTS, BLACKPINK and Stray Kids. In addition to its huge following in Korea, the genre has swept the West, with Korean being the 3rd biggest language by consumption in the U.S. in 2023, according to Luminate.
So, is Taylor Swift really the biggest artist in the world? Given the change I’ve described in streaming adoption across emerging markets, the importance of domestic platforms, and the sheer fact that on a country-by-country level domestic acts reign, the answer is no. Last time I checked, India, Pakistan, the Middle East, China and most of Africa have their own superstars — and they represent most of the populated world. There’s no telling how high those local artists will climb before their stars eclipse the likes of Swift in ways that become much more obvious to the rest of us.
Spek is the founder/CEO of PopArabia & ESMAA and the executive vp of international & emerging markets at Reservoir. He was recently named to Billboard’s International Power Players 2024 list, having previously appeared on the list in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Ed Sheeran has basically been waiting his whole life for a moment like this. During the Offspring‘s set at this weekend’s BottleRock Festival in Napa Valley, Calif. on Sunday night Sheeran came out on stage to join the veteran Cali punks for blitz through “Million Miles Away” from their 2000 Conspiracy of One album. In […]
Beyoncé may run the world now, but Tina Knowles has revealed that her daughter experienced her fair share of bullies back when the superstar was young.
In a video interview with Vogue posted Sunday (May 26), the businesswoman opened up about raising her daughters to embrace their individuality — no matter who tried to break their souls. “Beyoncé, she was very shy,” she shared. “She got bullied a bit.”
“The day that she stood up for someone … she didn’t stand up for herself, she stood up for them,” Knowles added. “I’m getting emotional talking about it. I couldn’t have been more proud of her.”
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She went on to share that her youngest daughter, Grammy-winning musician Solange, has “always been an activist” and often went around asking people to sign petitions. As for Bey’s best friend and former Destiny’s Child bandmate Kelly Rowland, Knowles remembers the Mea Culpa star as being a “little peacemaker” when she was young.
“Kelly was always this kid that tried to protect everybody,” she continued.
Sharing the clip on her personal account, Knowles wrote, “Each child is different!”
“But all so special,” she added. “I believe kids are born with their personalities. My three girls All handled things very differently. Learn their personalities and respect the individuality.”
Bey is now a mom herself, with Ms. Tina taking on the role of grandmother to 12-year-old Blue Ivy and 6-year-old twins Rumi and Sir, whom the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer shares with Jay-Z. That means the vocalist is imparting onto her own children the same lessons she previously learned from Knowles, including the importance of blocking out the haters and focusing on one’s craft.
For instance, Knowles recently revealed that Bey had some wise words for Blue after her dancing at the Renaissance Tour received negative comments. “It was a great life lesson because her mom basically said, ‘Listen, if you let this get you down, then they won,” she recalled. “So you should go and work harder. And, you know, just work harder and get your skills together and go out there and blast it.’”
Watch the clip below.
Coldplay had a special surprise in store for fans on Sunday (May 26) during their headlining set closing out BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend Festival. While preparing to perform the Ghost Stories favorite “Magic,” singer Chris Martin alluded to the fact that his band has been a staple of the event for the past decade.
“We’ve been playing this, one Big Weekend since we were basically children,” Martin said. “And the reason we play one Big Weekend is because without Radio 1, we would never have kept our jobs.” Then, the singer self-deprecatingly introduced one of the festival’s other performers, Sabrina Carpenter, telling the crowd, “What we’d like to do, to say thank you to you for being so wonderful for the whole three days is bring on a singer who’s much younger, more beautiful, more successful, better in every way, and sing a song of ours that is okay but make it really good.”
With the crowd properly hyped, Martin added, “Welcome, from America, U.S.A., Sabrina Carpenter, let’s go!” Carpenter seemed as jazzed as the audience, responding, “Give it up for Coldplay! What the hell?”
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The band — who have frequently invited guest stars up to join them during the epic two-year Music of the Spheres road trip — leaned into the song’s spare intro, as Martin and Carpenter harmonized, “Call it magic/ Call it true/ I call it magic/ When I’m with you,” while a graphic of a man trapped inside a top hat struggling to hold on to a woman blowing away from him screened behind them.
It wasn’t the only time during the Coldplay set that the 25-year-old singer/actress made her way into their repertoire. While playing their beloved ballad “Fix You,” a few songs earlier, Martin playfully slipped in a shot of Carpenter’s hit “Espresso” into the song to the crowd’s delight, as he sang, “That’s that me, espresso.”
Watch Carpenter join Coldplay for “Magic” below.
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For most of his career, Adam Lambert has been playing characters. Whether in his musical theater roots, his touring role as the frontman of Queen or even on American Idol, the 42-year-old singer says much of his career has been about performance.
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But he’s ready to change that. “I’ve watched other artists express this very real, authentic part of themselves over the last few years,” he tells Billboard. “Now, it’s my turn.”
Lambert’s new solo EP Afters (due out July 19) sees the singer embracing a new, dance-focused sound to talk about sex, desire and romance in a more honest way than he ever has before. The first pair of singles off the project, “Lube” and “Wet Dream” (both due out Friday, May 31), give audiences a glimpse of what the singer has in store for them, with Lambert’s rock-inspired sound swapped out for pounding club beats and uncensored lyrics.
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“I wanted to make a project that felt like the kind of music I listened to with my friends, talking about the things I talk about with my friends,” Lambert explains. “Sometimes, things get a little naughty, and I wanted to capture that energy.”
Below, Lambert breaks down the inspirations behind his new project, what it means to be rediscovering himself 15 years into his career, and how advancements for LGBTQ artists in the music industry have fundamentally changed the way he approaches music.
Let’s talk about your new project, Afters. This is a very different direction that you’re taking — can you tell me a little bit about where the idea for this project came from?
I’ve experimented with so many different sorts of directions and genres and sounds over the years. I’ve done a lot and for this, I was like, “Okay, what have I not really done?” I wanted whatever I did next to feel as authentic as possible — I wanted it to feel real to my life. I started my career on stage playing different characters and then stepping onto American Idol, and then stepping in with Queen. I get to sing the most amazing music and tour the world with them. But it’s all serving specific audiences, you know what I mean? And I wanted to do something that sounded like my social life.
Here in West Hollywood, I love going out, I love having after parties at my house, I love nightlife. I love dressing up and and interacting with people and and getting that charged up and flirty feeling with people. So I just was like, “I want to capture that energy of sexuality and desire for connection and liberation.” And that’s the after party.
That’s an interesting point about you playing “roles” in your past music career — was there any trepidation in making this project about fan or industry reactions to this very raw sound?
Yeah, there might be some fans out there that might go, “Whoa, what is all this” and not understand it. But it’s the most honest that I’ve gotten to be in a really long time because there’s no filter. When I first came onto the scene in 2009, the scene was very different. The music industry was very different, and being a gay man in the music industry was uncharted territory in some ways. We had other greats before us in other genres, but doing contemporary pop, I felt like I didn’t have anybody else to sort of see as an example in that world.
It was a trial and error experience; I had that first single that was kind of sexy, and then the performance where I kissed a guy and I got a big slap on the wrist for it. I had so much support from the industry coming off of Idol, and I think there was this collective sort of gasp and clutching of the pearls at that performance. They didn’t turn their back on me, but it felt like the audience took a collective step back.
I had to play the game at that point, because I wasn’t going to lose my opportunity. So I just kept moving forward and doing my thing. And obviously there’s a lot more to me than just my sexuality, but that is a big part of who I am. Romance and sex and heartbreak, we see all of our favorite hetero artists sing about all that stuff all the time. So I was always a little frustrated with the double standard early on, because I was like, “Well, why can’t I?” The game, for a while, became me asking how I could push things.
I feel like [now] we’re in 2024, and the rules have completely been tossed out the window. It’s a totally different playing field. Now, the way people get music and find music is completely different. I think the fact that we can go straight to the listener as an artist changes the politics of all of it. Back in the day, radio was this gatekeeper — and it was like, and if you really wanted to be successful, you had to play the game on the radio. Now that’s completely different, too. So there are less hurdles you have to jump over.
When it comes to “playing the game” and the rules changing, do you think the industry has reached a point where the old playbook when it comes to artist authenticity is entirely outdated, or are we still in a transition phase?
I mean, it’s still a bit of a game — you still have to strategize, and you still have to figure out what people like and how they’ll respond to things and marketing and all that. But I think that identity politics has become such an important part of an artist’s whole package. People are not stupid: They know when someone’s being who they are, and when they’re not. If anything, with this next project, the people that know me will go, “Oh, yeah.” The other thing is that in today’s world, where we’re showing so much more of ourselves with social media, the audience want in on our lives. So in a way, this is a glimpse. This is my experience.
I was listening to “Lube” right before we started, and even as a queer person who’s been following you for a long time, I was like, “Whoa, okay, we’re going there!”
Yeah, I really did sing the words “gonna make you nut.” [Laughs.] I actually wrote this song with Vincint and Parson James, and we had a different chorus originally. I walked away with the song, and I was like, “That chorus is not really doing it for me.” So I had the producer take the chorus vocal off of it, leaving it as an instrumental, and I just kept listening to it. I opened the program up and I just started running the track and recording ideas. When I thought of the rhyme and I was like, “Oh, that’s crazy, I can’t say that.” And then I was like “…maybe I should just say it? Just f–king say it! Why am I editing myself?”
I recognize that this is literally a dance song about lubrication; it’s ridiculous, I’m aware. But there was a part of me that was like, “I want to make music that sounds like the way I dress.” Sonically, like the aesthetic, I want it to sound like how I like to look. Because I’ve been very inspired by fashion lately, and I keep finding things that are just really weird. And I get inspired by that, as well.
I also love that you let fans get an early listen of “Wet Dream.” How closely were you watching the fan reaction to it? How much were you letting that dictate the rest of your release strategy?
I was definitely taking note, and I think the overall impression was really strong. People were surprised by it, because it’s different. It’s a different sound for me, and it really goes off in a way the audience seemed to like. It was so fun to perform live down in Australia — and that’s sort of why we put it out. I really wanted to perform it on stage, especially for Pride Month. So that was why I was like, “Let’s kind of put it out. If you want to check it out, you can on SoundCloud, let’s just have it around.”
Part of what I love about the songs is that you are really leaning into the gay club aesthetic — because oftentimes, this house, dance-pop sound has a tendency, especially when coming from queer artists, to be written off as “gay music” and taken less seriously. It feels like that has changed a lot in recent years where that brand of music has become much more high profile — why do you think that is?
That’s a really good point, and I actually hadn’t thought a lot about that. Even before American Idol, the music that I was listening to in my 20s was a lot of electronic music. It was all dance-y electronic stuff. To be honest, I don’t really listen to classic rock in my free time, but when I auditioned for Idol, it was a lane that I saw opened up for me. And I was like, “I can do that. I like classic rock.”
I think when I first started wearing makeup and heels and all of that, the “rock star version” of all that was like a way to justify looking that way and wanting to express myself that way. It got me past certain people. I think even artists of those genres — like Freddie Mercury, first and foremost, and Bowie — gave me permission to express myself that way. It made sense for me to go and sing glam rock and classic rock, because that era was such a beautiful expression of men being able to be feminine and messing with gender. It made it feel safer for me to go there.
As you get older, you get way more comfortable in your own skin and you accept everything about yourself. Now I’m just like, ”This is just who I am — I’m basically a blouse, a feminine top.” It’s amazing the way that society has shifted, because you go online and you see tons of boys doing makeup tutorials. The idea of of expressing yourself in any way shape or form — whether it’s your feminine side, your masculine side, the queer umbrella — [has] gone through this prism and expanded. There’s so much more visibility on all corners of it right now than there has ever been. That’s one reason why I feel like it’s just completely blown open, especially when it comes to music.
These songs are going to be coming out right at the same time that you’re going to be doing your headlining performance for WeHo Pride. What does that mean for you to be getting to headlining this event, and what can fans expect to see?
The lineup over the weekend is crazy. When I saw that I’m on the bill with Kesha, it made me smile so hard, because we go so far back — when I first got signed to RCA, she was on RCA, right after “TiK ToK” had come out. We were at a lot of these industry events together and we just totally clicked, and so it’s it’s a pretty full circle moment. I mean, the fact that Kylie’s playing on Saturday, I just … it’s gonna be a really amazing weekend.
Lady Gaga‘s Gaga Chormatica Ball concert film debuted on Max over the long holiday weekend and while it features all the outrageously outré costumes, staging and musical highlights a Little Monster could want, it also ends with the most delightfully perfect flash forward. While Gaga has been teasing her next musical era on her socials […]
Billie Eilish leaves it all on the stage during her concerts. But unlike some of her peers — or even such elder statesman as Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney — the “Lunch” singer has no interest in pushing her concerts into the three-hour zone. At a time when Taylor Swift is regularly pushing past the […]
Taylor Swift is adding extra support acts for her upcoming Eras Tour dates in London.
The pop superstar will be performing a total of eight shows at Wembley Stadium this summer as part of her blockbuster world tour. The first three concerts take place from June 21-23 and the remaining five are scheduled for Aug. 15-17 and Aug. 19-20.
On Sunday (May 27), Swift announced that three additional artists will be opening for her alongside Paramore on the June dates. Joining the lineup are Mette (June 21), Griff (June 22) and Benson Boone (June 23).
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“I just found out Fortnight is #1 on the UK airplay chart!!!! You guys are amazing and I can’t wait to see you so soon! Thought this might be a fun time to announce the first group of opening acts I’ll be adding to the London shows, going on before Paramore,” Swift wrote in her Instagram Story. “I chose artists whose music I love listening to, and I can’t wait for them to add an extra jolt of excitement to our shows at Wembley Stadium in June.”
The “Cruel Summer” singer added, “Mette, Griff, and Benson Boone, welcome to The Eras Tour!!”
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The three artists excitedly responded to the news on their respective social media accounts.
“TAYLOR SWIFT HAS INVITED ME ON THE ERAS TOUR!!!!!! 8 yr old me who had fearless on repeat wouldn’t believe this,” Griff wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “So unbelievably grateful to Taylor for all the love she’s shown me and my music. See you at Wembley on June 22nd”.
Mette added on X, “It’s a new ERA for ya girl… Opening the ‘Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour’ on June 21st at Wembley Stadium in London. Thank you @taylorswift13 – Never been so excited in my entire life!!! #TSTheErasTour.”
Boone reposted Swift’s announcement on his Instagram Story, writing, “@taylorswift so excited to be a part of the show thank you for having me,” alongside a face with tears and red heart emojis.
Swift is currently in the middle of the European leg of her global Eras Tour, on which she recently premiered the brand-new Tortured Poets miniset at her Paris shows. In addition to “Fortnight,” the updated setlist features “Down Bad,” “So High School,” “But Daddy I Love Him,” “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” and “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”
The 14-time Grammy winner wrapped shows in Lisbon over the weekend and will spend the rest of the summer traveling through Europe before returning to the U.S. and Canada for a second North American leg this fall.
With more than 24 million users globally, the digital note-taking app Goodnotes is expanding into an even wider reach with a new collection themed around BTS. Billboard can exclusively reveal the news and give a first look at the collection.
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In collaboration with BTS’ management company HYBE and Goodnotes’ digital-stationery partner Webudding, the line will debut four digital planners, three notebooks and one sticker pack boasting BTS’ signature logo and fonts, and heavily incorporating their beloved animated TINYTan characters wearing looks inspired by the K-pop group’s Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single “Dynamite” to mark the first-ever global branded collection for Goodnotes. A press release notes that additional collections are expected to be released throughout the year, giving fans time to predict what other iconic BTS singles or looks might be featured next.
This new collab developed through Goodnotes’ strategic partnership with Webudding that took hold in February 2023, included a $1.9 million investment last September, and has since integrated more than 18,000 different digital stationery items into the Goodnotes Marketplace in the companies’ ongoing effort to develop a global digital-paper ecosystem. Since launching in 2011, the AI-powered Goodnotes has been a technology trailblazer, becoming South Korea’s largest digital stationery platform offering journaling, planning and scheduling in its app as well as different calendar templates, digital planners, stickers and notebook covers to blend the worlds of traditional and digital paper.
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“We’re beyond thrilled to bring BTS-themed stationery to the millions of BTS fans among our Goodnotes community,” says Steven Chan, founder and CEO of Goodnotes, in a statement. “We are deeply grateful to HYBE and Webudding for their partnership in creating this extraordinary and exclusive line of BTS digital stationery for the Goodnotes Marketplace. We can’t wait to bring even more beloved cultural icons to the Goodnotes Marketplace, further empowering our users to express their passion and creativity.”
Donghwan Shin, the CEO and founder of Webudding, hints that more artist collaborations could soon follow this initial partnership with BTS and HYBE, who also house popular artists like SEVENTEEN, ENHYPEN, LE SSERAFIM, NewJeans and ZICO in its multi-label system.
“We’re excited to collaborate with HYBE, especially given their artists’ enormous cultural impact, both in Korea and internationally,” Shin adds. “Celebrating their universal appeal and ability to unite people across the globe, we’re grateful to be able to create this content for Goodnotes’ more than 24 million users worldwide, bringing so many people the ability to customize their notebooks with their favorite artists. Users can expect many more collaborations like this in the future.”
The BTS-themed digital stationery collection will be available in the Goodnotes Marketplace by the end of May 2024. Goodnotes’ Chan adds that the company “can’t wait to bring even more beloved cultural icons to the Goodnotes Marketplace, further empowering our users to express their passion and creativity.”
Peep some of our favorite items below and find more here.
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RM‘s “Right Place, Wrong Person” has topped this week’s new music poll that features artists in various genres of music.
Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (May 24) on Billboard, choosing the BTS singer’s second solo album as their favorite new music release of the past week.
RM’s latest release brought in 86% of the vote on the poll, securing a notable edge ahead of new releases from Twenty One Pilots (Clancy), PinkPantheress (“Turn It Up”), Clairo (“Sexy to Someone”), Zach Bryan (“Pink Skies”), and others.
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The K-pop star’s Right Place, Wrong Person, arrived on Friday, bringing with it 11 new tracks for fans to enjoy amid BTS’ military obligations.
Led by the single “Come Back to Me,” Right Place, Wrong Person also features the alternative-based songs “Nuts,” “Groin,” “Heaven,” “LOST!” and more. Overall, the album reflects a “raw and honest presentation of RM’s distinctive sensibility, aesthetics, and beliefs,” per a BigHit news release, and follows the South Korean artist’s 2022 debut album, Indigo, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
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RM and his BTS bandmates Jin, SUGA, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook are currently serving in the South Korean military, which mandates an 18-month military enlistment for all able-bodied men by the time they turn 28. A few of the members have pursued various solo projects amid their service, and the full group is planning to reconvene for band activities in 2025.
Trailing behind Right Place, Wrong Person on this week’s poll is Twenty One Pilots’ seventh album, Clancy, with nearly 10% of the vote. The set follows 2021’s Scaled and Icy — which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 — and concludes the duo’s long-running album saga that started with 2015’s Blurryface and 2018’s Trench.
See the final results of this week’s poll below. Check out Billboard‘s Friday Music Guide to catch up with more must-hear releases from this week.