DO STREAMING NUMBERS MATTER?
What do streaming numbers mean in terms of revenue, music quality, artiste/song popularity etc?
The creation of art, in its purest form, is a self-satisfying endeavour aimed solely at expressing personal beliefs, moods, stories & perceptions. If art is created in this light, validation from others is then, not a fundamental requisite. Albeit, affirmation from others is one way to judge the quality of a work.
In the music industry, it is common sight to see artiste show off the reception their songs got. Good reviews, cosigns, reaction videos and more are displayed to testify good reception. However, with the gradual popularity of digital streaming platforms(DSPs) in Nigeria, the popular way of flaunting the performance of a release is by posting the streaming numbers - number of streams, plays & downloads from DSPs. This is a very direct metric system as you can see how much streams a song/album has garnered within minutes of release.
This easy access and response system has aroused a stressful obsession about streaming numbers amongst artistes and fans,begging the questions. Do streaming numbers actually matter? What do streaming numbers mean in terms of revenue, music quality, artiste/song popularity etc? These questions are especially vital for up and coming acts. Here's our take.
A) STREAMING NUMBERS DON'T MATTER.
WHY?
1. NUMBERS ARE FICKLE: Streaming numbers are mostly consistent with the status of the artiste. Artistes at different levels are expected to do certain numbers at least, no matter the quality of the songs they drop. However, the slightest things can make numbers rise far beyond expectations.
For instance, the music video for Lyta's "Hold me Down" had a million views within four days of release. Great figures but this huge surge wasn't as a result of Lyta's popularity, marketing strategy, fanbase strength or music quality. The numbers were because of a plagarism controversy invoving a K-pop boy band and most of the views, likes and dislikes on that video were mostly by angered fans of the band. This goes on to say that sometimes, numbers can mislead one to think that a song is successful when in reality, the numbers rose by pure luck and chance.
2. NUMBERS CAN BE DOCTORED: One of the evils of the internet is that good things can be compromised. True things can be falsified. On social platforms, buying of likes and followers are not uncommon. On DSPs, the falsification is prevalent. Streams are openly sold and bought. See this tweet by twitter user, “@iYungblogger”
With doctored streams being a truth, streaming numbers do not mean much as it might not be about what is played the most, but who pays the most. This is an important factor to consider when signing a deal with a burgeoning artiste. Are their numbers real?
3. A MILLION STREAMS < A MILLION CENTS: Streaming numbers, for all their glory do not mean much in terms of revenue for the artiste. DSPs pay so extremely little that streaming revenue ideally do not make up to 20% of an artiste total revenue.
B) STREAMING NUMBERS MATTER
1. PERCEPTION: Streaming numbers are one easy way for fans/critics to evaluate how successful an artiste/projects is. Artistes' perception and appeal improves with good streaming numbers.
2. LEVERAGE: In negotiating deals, artistes with great numbers can include their figures into their Electronic Press Kits(EPKs) as some form of leverage to cut a good deal.
3. RECORDS: Nigeria generally has a data problem. A lot of historical information are lost and might never be retrieved. The music industry is not left out. Accurate data on the performance of legendary albums/singles are scarcely available. The availability of streaming numbers can help to keep records useful for charts curation and proper documentation.
To conclude, streaming numbers are a great deal but not so much to fuss about especially for upcoming acts. More efforts should be focused on Social media following and engagements, Quality of music, Brand & promotion strategy, Collaborations & Partnerships.
I agree with the conclusion. Upcoming artistes tend to doctor streaming numbers so as to be seen as developing among their peers, that causes more harm than good to their career. They should rather forces on more important factors when building their brands, the streams will come eventually