MRC Data Releases 1st Global Charts Anniversary Report

28 September 2021 - Press release

Some key highlights from the report can be found below:

• THE POWER OF COLLABORATIONS 

To get to the top of the Global charts is the peak of international success and requires huge support from fans around the world. One of the quickest ways for an artist to gain awareness and credibility in a new market or in a new genre is by collaborating with an act out of one's own country, genre and language - gaining exposure to new fans and climbing the charts. (See: Jason Derulo; Bad Bunny; BTS)

 

• TOP GLOBAL SUCCESS MARKETS

LATIN stars make up the biggest piece of the pie, outside of English-speaking pop artists. Major hubs of crossover success are Puerto Rico and Colombia, while Argentina and Brazil have nurtured more regional music scenes.

ASIAN pop is operating in a similar fashion. South Korea has a slew of "idol" groups who mix Korean and English and collaborate with Western stars, while Japan is more insular, sticking closer to pop/rock and strictly Japanese lyrics.

 

• MUSIC DISCOVERY/RE-DISCOVERY VIA SOCIAL MEDIA/SHORT FORM VIDEO 

Viral hits on social media/TikTok are not just Gen-Z newcomers. From icons like Fleetwood Mac to (relatively) obscure acts like Boney M, decades-old classics are being re-discovered and remixed onto the global charts.

Social media is also helping connect the dots for contemporary artists, launching full "single" campaigns for Kali Uchis (U.S./Colombia), Aurora (Norway) and Nathan Evans (Scotland), each with songs from different eras, genres and pockets of the world.

 

• MUSIC VIDEOS DRIVING INTERNATIONAL MARKETS 

Video streaming, nearly monopolized by YouTube, has helped Indian acts find success on Billboard's global charts. Songs by Indian artists will routinely draw 90% of its weekly streams from video platforms. This phenomenon also spotlights many Central and South American acts, as well as the evergreen global chart performance of Pinkfong's "Baby Shark."

 

• ROCK'S RESURGENCE

Maneskin's Eurovision triumph and the popularity of local (South America; Japan) and western (Olivia Rodrigo; emo-inflicted hip-hop) rock music indicates that we may see more guitar-based music on the charts in the next year.