Posted on 01/16/2024 12:56:21 PM PST by nickcarraway
Music lovers in the US, the world’s biggest music streaming market, listened to more music in other languages than English in 2023, according to a new report.
The times sure are a-changin’… The days when global music artists had to sing in English to sell records internationally appear to be far behind us, if the latest streaming data is anything to go by.
Listeners on music streaming platforms are increasingly embracing music in languages other than English, according to the 2023 Luminate Year-End Music Report.
The genre known as “World Music,” once a niche label reserved for (Western) music snobs, is gaining popularity with younger listeners in the United States, the biggest music streaming market in the world.
It's become a catch-all term that encompasses every genre that's not considered Latin music or English-language music, like K-Pop, J-Pop and Afrobeats.
Spotify Wrapped 2023: World's most streamed artists and songs revealed
2023 proves a record-breaking triumph for female pop stars: Time for further progress?
Luminate’s report found that English-language streaming content in the US was down 4.8% in 2023, with interest growing in Spanish- and Japanese-language music in particular.
The changes are accelerating as the music marketplace becomes more international, with more people around the world listening to music on streaming platforms.
Last year, the global music industry surpassed 4 trillion streams, marking a new single-year record, with global streams up 34% from 2022.
Unsurprisingly, Spanish is the second-most popular language in music streaming, buoyed by the wildly popular Latin genre with its blockbuster artists including Bad Bunny and Karol G.
In 2023, Spanish-language content saw a 3.8% uptick on music streaming platforms in the US.
Regional Mexican music – which encompasses mariachi, banda, corridos, norteño, sierreño and other styles – was one of the year’s biggest breakout genres, with a 60 percent increase in plays.
Mexican artists Peso Pluma, Eslabon Armado, Junior H and Fuerza Regida each hit more than 1 billion streams last year, as the genre saw a meteoric rise in popularity.
English is still the top language for music globally, accounting for 54.9% of the top 10,000 global tracks in 2023. But other languages are gaining ground.
The top global languages in music streaming after English, according to the report, were Spanish (10%), Hindi (7%), Korean (2.4%) and Japanese (2.1%).
Gen Z and Millennials are looking abroad
The interest in international music mostly comes from younger listeners – the report found that 63% of Gen Z and 65% of Millennials agree they “listen to new music to experience new cultures and perspectives.”
That shows in the listening figures for popular non-English genres – 95% of J-Pop fans in the US said they were Gen Z. Multilingual music listeners were also more likely to use community-based social media, like Reddit and Discord.
Afrobeats, one of the fastest-growing music genres in the world, was up 26.2% last year. The report found it’s hugely popular in Europe – with Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the UK, France and Portugal leading global streams of the genre.
The international market for music streaming is expected to keep growing next year – with analysts estimating global revenues will hit a record €27.06 billion in 2024.
I've been recently listening to a lot of progressive rock from the 1970s, suprisingly I still discover to this day a lot of great stuff from that period I never heard before, even though I lived through that era.
Most English language music now, if I can understand what they are mumbling, is asinine. I find myself listening to more Korean, Japanese, Filipino music. Don’t know what they are saying, but if there is a pleasant voice and melody , I am entertained. I’m glad I don’t know what they are saying.
All music is world music. How stupid.
Maybe not in all muzzard countries.
It’s not German opera, but German classical music, see the link at post 27.
Dreams.
And you’re right, Go Your Own Way is Lindsay’s breakup song.
I just plunked down $1.20 to Amazon for the opening to Dr. Stone “Good Morning World” don’t speak a lick of Japanese but it’s a great tune.
https://youtu.be/yQEUGxngQN4?si=8s3CVGlJvDCNvUDZ
Something German: RAMMSTEIN "Benzin" English Lyrics
Or maybe some Mongolian Metal? the HU Wolf Totem ENGLISH LYRICS
This Spanish language song hit #9 on the U.S. pop charts back in 1971, but it is Spain Spanish, not Latin American:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EtPSn3qdEI
Thank you for posting that one as well. I love that she stayed in “doll-mode” the whole time.
She had an amazing range and great control. It’s very sad that she passed at such a young age.
This story is a nothingburger. Spotify and YouTube make no distinction in their algorithms between US and non-US artists, so unlike pop radio, you can get exposed to non-US music very easily.
That was excellent!
Have you heard of Wagakki band? They play rock with traditional Japanese instruments. Lead singer is a former Ms. JAPAN. You might like them too.
https://youtu.be/Y5zj3dwNxJw?si=8B1DmVv65NKVsa24
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.