Streaming saturation is real — Where should artists invest their energy in 2025?

Global audio streams reached 4.8 trillion in 2024—a 14% increase year-over-year—yet this growth masks deeper structural limits. Catalogs are expanding faster than listening time: over 99,000 new tracks are uploaded daily to streaming platforms, while user listening hours remain relatively flat. Competition for playlist spots is more intense than ever, and algorithms increasingly favor already successful content, reinforcing the dominance of the top 1%. According to IFPI, global music subscriber numbers continue to grow, with 752 million subscriptions in 2024. While Spotify remains the dominant platform globally—holding around 31.7% of the market—the streaming landscape is becoming increasingly fragmented. With more platforms competing for listeners and attention, growth through streaming alone has become elusive for most emerging artists. So, where should artists and their teams focus their time and energy today?

1. Streaming: Still essential, but no longer a growth engine

Streaming platforms remain key listening hubs, but they rarely act as discovery tools anymore. Like many algorithmic systems, Spotify’s recommendation engine tends to amplify already-successful content—a phenomenon known as ‘popularity bias’ (Salganik et al., 2023, arXiv). According to Spotify, listeners are more likely to explore new music when it appears alongside familiar artists, reflecting a tendency toward familiarity-based engagement.

In fact, just 2% of users—Spotify’s “super listeners”—account for over 18% of all streams, highlighting how the platform is increasingly driven by retention rather than discovery (Spotify Fan Study, 2023). Meanwhile, more than 87% of the 200 million+ tracks available on streaming services received fewer than 1,000 plays over the course of a year, suggesting that most releases remain largely invisible (MBW, 2025).

2. Short-form video: Ubiquitous but increasingly hit-or-miss

TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels are still capable of sparking a breakout moment, but the chances of standing out are shrinking. A 2024 academic study comparing Shorts and regular videos on YouTube found that while Shorts have become a central format, the vast majority of their views come from already-established creators. In fact, the top 1% of channels generated 46% of all views across the platform. Discovery on short-form platforms increasingly favors those with existing audiences. Yet, these platforms still play a discovery role for certain types of content. A 2024 study by Harvard Business School examined UMG’s temporary music removal from TikTok. It found that popular UMG tracks previously available on TikTok saw a 2–3% increase in streaming (a substitution effect), while lesser-known UMG tracks not previously on TikTok saw a 1–3% decrease—highlighting TikTok’s role in boosting visibility for emerging songs.

3. Sync and UGC: Emotional leverage over scale

When a song appears in a TV series, viral video, or heartfelt piece of UGC (User-Generated Content), it can trigger organic spikes in searches, shares, and streams. Unlike ads or playlist placements, these moments often carry emotional weight. For example, Kate Bush's “Running Up That Hill” saw an 8,700% increase in Spotify streams and a 15,000% rise in video views after appearing in Stranger Things.

Tom Odell’s “Another Love” similarly resurged via TikTok more than eight years after release. Tracking Shazam spikes after such moments can offer early insight into impact. For another case, consider how sync has become a significant revenue driver: music supervisors now earn revenue representing 17% of global publishing income, up nearly 30% year-over-year.

4. Superfans and niche communities: Sustainable over viral

While the music industry often chases virality, many artists are building long-lasting careers by nurturing niche audiences. According to MIDiA, streaming growth slowed to +6.2% in 2024, prompting a strategic pivot toward superfans. In fact, labels now generate over 16% of their revenue from sources like merch, licensing, and fan experiences driven by these core listeners. Music Tomorrow adds that the superfan economy was projected to grow to $4.5 billion by 2024, and that superfans are no longer just consumers—they are curators, community builders, and micro-influencers.

That said, Hypebot warns that the superfan economy remains fragile: economic headwinds, rising costs, and excessive monetization tactics risk alienating fans and undermining long-term loyalty.

5. Reallocating attention: Interpreting multi-platform signals

Instead of chasing the next viral hit, artists and their teams should monitor “weak signals” — early, subtle indicators of traction across platforms. These might include a sudden rise in Shazam activity in a specific city, a wave of UGC creation, or a surprising jump in YouTube subscribers. Paying attention to granular geographic or platform-based signals has become essential in export strategies and breaking artists outside their home territories. Success is increasingly determined by detecting emerging momentum early, rather than waiting for mainstream chart impact.

More and more A&R and marketing teams are investing in AI-powered and data platforms like Your Music Marketing, Bridge.audio, and Soundcharts to sift through massive datasets and detect these micro-trends early. However, this new data-driven A&R model is not without limitations. As Hypebot notes, algorithms can surface promising names, but human insight remains irreplaceable in assessing artist vision, narrative, and long-term potential.

Conclusion

Streaming remains the backbone of the music ecosystem, but it's no longer the primary driver of discovery or growth. In 2025, breaking through requires more than volume—it demands precision. Artists and teams must diversify across formats, lean into emotionally resonant moments, and tune into early indicators of traction. By moving from mass exposure to meaningful signals, music professionals can focus their energy on what truly resonates—and what scales sustainably.