Music Streaming Reportedly Declining Due to Coronavirus
Data from Spotify may suggest that widespread self-isolation is to blame.
The self-isolation caused by the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) may actually be causing a fall in music streaming, as reported by Quartz. While many would assume that staying inside during the pandemic would effectually boost streams, data compiled by the publication may say otherwise.
In the hard-hit country of Italy, the top 200 most streamed songs on Spotify within the nation averaged 18.3 million streams per day in February of 2019. The total streams for the 200 most popular songs in the country since beginning a national quarantine (March 9) are just 14.4 million. When comparing the top 200 streams from Tuesday, March 3 to Tuesday, March 17, numbers showcase a 23% drop in streams.
Dan Kopf, a senior data reporter at Quartz, noted in the piece that there could be irregularities in the data that is causing the discrepancy. “It is possible that while top 200 streams are falling, overall listenership could be stable,” he notes in the report. “It may be that less popular, older music is thriving. It’s also conceivable that there are other factors leading to lower streaming—total streams can swing substantially from one week to another.”
However, the trend isn’t limited to just Italy. In the U.S., total Spotify streams of top 200 songs fell to 77 million on March 17, the lowest number of top 200 steams for any Tuesday so far in 2020 with nearly 14 million fewer streams than the week prior. This can also be seen in UK, France, and Spain, where all streaming numbers for the top 200 categories have dropped.
This leads Kopf into believing that the sudden change to widespread self-isolation could, surprisingly, be the culprit. “The most popular days for streaming are Friday and Saturday, when people are most likely to go out,” he notes. “It appears listeners are more likely to stream songs when life is more normal and they are looking to have some fun.”
What are your thoughts on the report? Are you steaming less music due to self-isolation? Let us know below.
For more music news, Drake is reportedly in self-isolation after being spotted with Kevin Durant.
