Streaming &
The Influence of Rap/Hip-Hop Culture
By Bonds
As we move closer to the end of another decade we’ve seen many trends come and go like a revolving door, but two things have gradually grown to remain supremacy at the top of the music industry, and that’s rap/hip-hop and streaming.
On demand streaming has bullied its way to the top as the preferred method of listening to music as Americans streamed over 900 billion songs in 2018, and look to carry the same trend in 2019, with the average time spent listening to music each week on pace to break 20 hours (almost 3 hours daily). Streaming is breaking boundaries and redefining rules as there is a surge in older age groups using music streaming services. The highest rate of growth is the 35-64 age group with 54% actively streaming month to month.
For most of us, we have fond memories of purchasing our favorite artists/bands CD, but what was once considered the prefered method of enjoying music is now prehistoric as the cost of one CD is equivalent to a month subscription to a streaming provider with a catalog in excess of over 40 million tracks. Easy accessibility, variety, and cost have all played key roles in consumers preference to listening to music.
With the rise of digital streaming it was inevitable that something had to take a fall, and that was physical copies. Physical revenue declined by 10.1% only making up a quarter of the market. Vinyl records have seen a resurgence in sales as of late and if trends continue through December, then this will mark the first time since 1986, that vinyl records will outsell CDs. Don’t worry though, your collection of CDs will make great decorative pieces or coasters.
With digital streaming ever growing popularity it’s no coincidence that rap/hip-hop has helped in its dominance. No matter where you go it’s easy to identify the influence that the rap/hip-hop culture has on societies across the world, and in 2019, the stats prove just that.
To this date in 2019, there have been seventeen rap albums to debut at No. 1 for their opening week (see figure 1). Of those seventeen albums two were debuts (Young Thug - So Much Fun & Roddy Ricch - Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial). 2019 proved raps influence and dominance on pop culture as ten rappers have achieved their first No. 1 billboard album, edging out the previous record in 1997, with nine.
Music plays a greater impact on our daily lives than we are made aware of. The same can be said about the influence of rap/hip-hop in our culture. They help dictate our emotions and set trends, break barriers and humanize cultures, and help unify collectivism while maintaining individualistic morals. When you’re out and about this holiday season take notice of your surroundings and you will be able to identify these factors as we close the book on an eventful 2019, and look forward to a new decade. Stay Focused & Grind Hard.
