2024 was a historic year for the music industry. According to Luminate’s latest annual report, on-demand audio streaming reached a record global volume of 4.8 trillion listens, registering 14% growth on 2023. But beyond these impressive figures, one notable fact stands out — the resurgence of pop, driven by female artists who dominated the charts.
The dominant musical genre of the 20th century, pop has long suffered from a bad reputation. Often treated as a lightweight genre or even with derision, it is perceived by many as “disposable” music, a product of the entertainment industry machine and regularly criticised for its lack of authenticity. And yet, of all musical styles, pop is undoubtedly the most commercially successful. This is borne out by its impressive growth in streaming audio in the USA in 2024 — according to Luminate, pop is up 0.48 points, surpassing rock, which is up 0.40 points.
This growth is largely down to the success of singers such as Taylor Swift. Having come a long way from her beginnings in Nashville, Tennessee, in just a few years the American is now a major figure in popular culture and the entertainment economy. A true global icon, Swift was crowned the most listened-to artist of 2024, with 12.8 billion streams in the USA. The success of her 11th album The Tortured Poets Department and The Eras Tour, which became the most lucrative tour in history with over US$2 billion (RM8.75 billion) in revenue, illustrate the immense impact of the singer affectionately nicknamed “Taytay” by her fans.
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In the wake of Swift, Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande stood out in 2024, racking up 4.46 billion, 3.71 billion and 3.12 billion streams, respectively. This triumph of female artistes is all the more remarkable in that, for the first time in history, seven of 10 most listened-to artistes in the USA were female singers.
Pop seems to be regaining the lustre and popularity of its heyday. However, the rise of this musical genre and its female icons is not just about numbers. It also embodies a major cultural transformation in a historically male-dominated industry. According to the Luminate Index, which evaluates the influence of artistes through criteria such as streaming, social media and fan engagement, Swift, Adele and Beyonce occupy the top three places. In the top 10, only two men rank: Elton John (4th) and Eminem (6th). This trend illustrates the growing inclusivity and recognition of the role of women in global pop culture.
With blockbuster concert tours, thriving creativity and an increasingly diverse audience, women are reinventing pop. They are not just breaking through the glass ceiling, they are reshaping the musical landscape. This collective movement highlights one thing with certainty — the future of pop is being written by women. – ETX Studio
