# Music Industry Research: Complete Summary
**Compiled: February 5, 2026**

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## 1. TikTok Advertising — Cost Per Monthly Listener

### The Bottom Line
| Campaign Quality | Cost Per Monthly Listener |
|-----------------|---------------------------|
| Excellent | $0.60 - $1.50 |
| Well-Executed | $1.50 - $4.00 |
| Poor | $5.00 - $15.00+ |

### Key Metrics
| Metric | Range | Notes |
|--------|-------|-------|
| CPM (Cost Per 1000 Impressions) | $4.20 - $7.00 | $2.87 Jan low, $6.26 Black Friday peak |
| CPC (Cost Per Click) | $0.35 - $1.00 | Standard ads |
| Spark Ads CPC | $0.10 - $0.30 | 20-40% cheaper than standard |
| Click-Through Rate | 0.84% - 2.5% | High-performing music ads: 1.5-2.5% |
| Click-to-Stream Conversion | 0.5% - 2.5% | |

### Influencer Costs (Music Promotion)
| Tier | Followers | Cost Per Post |
|------|-----------|---------------|
| Nano | 1K-10K | $50 - $500 |
| **Micro** | **10K-100K** | **$500 - $2,000** ← Best ROI |
| Mid-tier | 100K-500K | $2,000 - $5,000 |
| Macro | 500K-1M | $5,000 - $10,000 |

### Success Factors
- Spark Ads outperform standard ads (boosted organic content)
- January = cheapest CPM (~$3), Q4 = most expensive
- Micro-influencers deliver 70% of successful campaigns
- 84% of Billboard Global 200 songs (2024) went viral on TikTok first

**Sources:** Gupta Media, Lebesgue, Darkroom Agency, industry reports

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## 2. EDM Festival Booking Thresholds

### Monthly Listeners → Festival Slot
| Monthly Listeners | Festival Position | Pay Range |
|-------------------|-------------------|-----------|
| 10K-50K | Opening/Early slots | $200 - $5,000 |
| 50K-100K | Up-and-coming, early slots | $2,000 - $15,000 |
| 100K-500K | Mid-tier slots | $15,000 - $50,000 |
| 500K-2M (engaged) | Mid-to-upper tier | $50,000 - $100,000 |
| 2M+ | Headliner consideration | $100,000 - $400,000+ |

### Major EDM Festival Payment Ranges
| Festival | Artist Tier | Payment |
|----------|------------|---------|
| Ultra/EDC/Tomorrowland | Emerging | $200 - $5,000 |
| Ultra/EDC/Tomorrowland | Mid-tier | $25,000 - $100,000 |
| Ultra/EDC/Tomorrowland | Headliner | $100,000 - $400,000+ |
| Tomorrowland | Superstars | Up to $100K per 2-hour set |
| Vegas Residency (comparison) | A-list | $425,000/show (Deadmau5 @ Hakkasan) |

### Specific Artist Examples (UK Festival Fees)
| Artist | Fee | Deal Type |
|--------|-----|-----------|
| Calvin Harris | £950,000 | +++ |
| Avicii | £500,000 | +++ |
| Jamie XX | £200,000 | +++ |
| Rudimental | £85,000 | landed |
| Sigma | £25,000 | landed |

### Day Slots vs Night Slots
| Slot | Timing | Notes |
|------|--------|-------|
| **Best** | Sunset (6-7 PM) | Peak attendance, magical visuals |
| Prime | 10 PM - 1 AM | Main headliner slots |
| EDC Peak | 1:00 AM | Biggest names |
| Worst | Last day, any time | Exhausted crowds |

### Critical Insight
> Artists with 1-2M *engaged* monthly listeners (Porter Robinson, Subtronics, Knock2) headline festivals while artists with 12-18M playlist-driven streams (Jonas Blue, Sam Feldt) can't sell out 3K venues.

**Ticket sales history is THE #1 booking metric.**

**Sources:** EDM Festival Insider, Variety, Reddit r/EDM, r/aves, r/electricdaisycarnival, Indie on the Move, Ticket Fairy, DJ Mag references

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## 3. Collaboration Thresholds (EDM)

### Minimum to Get Noticed by Festival Artists
| Platform | Minimum Range |
|----------|---------------|
| Spotify | 10,000 - 30,000 monthly listeners |
| Instagram | 5,000 - 20,000 followers (with engagement) |
| SoundCloud | 3,000 - 10,000 followers |
| TikTok | 1+ viral video OR 10,000+ followers |

### Sweet Spot for Regular Collabs
| Platform | Target Range |
|----------|--------------|
| Spotify | 30,000 - 100,000 monthly listeners |
| Instagram | 20,000 - 50,000 followers |
| SoundCloud | 10,000 - 30,000 followers |
| Beatport | Top 100 chart presence |

### The Networking Shortcut
> Target artists with **20,000-40,000 followers** on labels you want. They're big enough to have connections but small enough to respond.

### Real Examples
| Artist | Instagram | Spotify | Status |
|--------|-----------|---------|--------|
| Knock2 | ~130K | 1-2M | Playing majors, Sable Valley |
| ISOxo | ~31K | 1-2M | Playing majors, own festival 2025 |

**Sources:** EDM Tips, Audio Jacked, Reddit r/EDM, Bandsintown

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## 4. General Festival Booking (All Genres)

### Small/Local Festivals
| Metric | Requirement | Pay |
|--------|-------------|-----|
| Monthly Listeners | 5K - 100K | $500 - $15,000 |
| Competitive | 25K+ | |
| Key Factor | Local following often matters more | |

### Mid-Tier Festivals
| Metric | Requirement | Pay |
|--------|-------------|-----|
| Monthly Listeners | 100K - 1M | $10,000 - $300,000 |
| Minimum | 250K+ typically | |
| Key Factor | Booking agent usually required | |

### Major Festivals (Coachella, Lollapalooza, etc.)
| Position | Listeners | Pay |
|----------|-----------|-----|
| Supporting acts | 500K - 2M | $15K - $75K |
| Mid-card | 2M - 10M | $75K - $500K |
| Sub-headliners | 10M - 30M | $500K - $1.5M |
| Headliners | 20M+ | $1.5M - $12M+ |

**Sources:** Pollstar, Billboard Pro references, festival industry reports

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## 5. Opener/Support Slots

### Streaming Thresholds (Rough Correlations)
| Venue Type | Monthly Listeners |
|------------|-------------------|
| Local opener | 1,000 - 10,000 |
| Small club support | 10,000 - 50,000 |
| Large club/theater | 50,000 - 250,000 |
| Theater/amphitheater | 250,000 - 1,000,000+ |
| Arena support | 500,000 - 5,000,000+ |

### Payment Ranges
| Venue Size | Pay Per Night |
|------------|---------------|
| Small clubs (100-300 cap) | $0 - $500 (often just exposure) |
| Mid-sized clubs (300-800) | $500 - $2,000 |
| Large clubs (800-1,500) | $1,000 - $3,000 |
| Theaters (1,500-3,000) | $1,500 - $5,000 |
| Arenas (5,000+) | $3,000 - $5,000+ |

### Reality Check
> "A booking agency is not looking at monthly listeners to sign you. They're looking at ticket sales." — Industry source

**Sources:** Industry booking agents, Reddit r/WeAreTheMusicMakers

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## 6. Headline Tour Viability

### Streaming → Venue Capacity
| Venue Capacity | Monthly Listeners Needed |
|----------------|--------------------------|
| Small clubs (100-300) | 5,000 - 25,000 |
| Larger clubs (500-1,000) | 25,000 - 100,000 |
| Theaters (1,500-3,000) | 100,000 - 500,000 |
| Arenas (5,000-15,000+) | 500,000 - 2,000,000+ |

### Revenue by Venue Size
| Venue | Guarantee | Gross Per Show | Profit Reality |
|-------|-----------|----------------|----------------|
| Small clubs | Door deal (70-85% after $100-400 expenses) | $2,000-$6,000 | Break-even or loss |
| Larger clubs | $1,000 - $3,000 vs 65-70% | $10,000 - $30,000 | Challenging |
| Theaters | $2,000 - $10,000 + backend | $45,000 - $150,000 | **First profitable tier** |
| Arenas | $50,000 - $200,000+ vs 85-90% | $200,000+ | Where real money is |

### Critical Stats
- **Only 57% of indie touring musicians are profitable**
- **Average indie tour profit: $3,800 total**
- **Conversion rate: 0.5-2%** of local monthly listeners buy tickets
- **Merch is the lifeline:** Artists make 8x more from merch than streaming at shows
- Tours don't become truly profitable until **2,000+ capacity venues**

**Sources:** Industry managers, Reddit r/WeAreTheMusicMakers, touring data reports

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## 7. Festival Night/Prime Slots (General)

### Prime Time Requirements
| Slot | Monthly Listeners | Pay |
|------|-------------------|-----|
| Day slots | 50K - 500K | $500 - $25K |
| Sunset/prime | 5M+ minimum | $250K - $1M |
| Headliner | 10M - 50M+ | $1M - $12M+ |

### Specific Headliner Fees
| Artist | Festival | Fee |
|--------|----------|-----|
| Tyler, The Creator | Coachella 2024 | $10M+ (8 figures) |
| Lady Gaga | Coachella | $4M |
| Oasis | Coachella | $4M |
| Radiohead | Coachella | $3M |
| Frank Ocean | Coachella 2023 | $4M per weekend |
| Glastonbury headliners | Glastonbury | ~$200K (prestige over pay) |

**Sources:** Variety, Billboard, Pollstar references

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## Key Takeaways

### The Hierarchy of What Actually Matters (for booking)
1. **Proven ticket sales** in relevant markets
2. **Live performance quality** (video proof essential)
3. **Industry relationships** (agents, managers, promoters)
4. **Streaming metrics** (supporting evidence, not primary)
5. **Social media engagement** (authentic, not bought)

### The Math for TikTok → Festival Pipeline
| Stage | Cost/Requirement |
|-------|------------------|
| 0 → 10K listeners | $6,000 - $40,000 in TikTok ads (at $0.60-$4/listener) |
| 10K → 50K | Early festival slot consideration |
| 50K → 100K | Collab opportunities, up-and-coming status |
| 100K → 500K | Mid-tier festival slots, theater headline potential |
| 500K+ | Major festival slots, profitable touring |

### Deal Types to Know
- **Landed:** All-inclusive (flights, hotel, transport included)
- **+++ (Plus Plus Plus):** Fee only, promoter pays all expenses separately
- **Door deal:** Percentage of ticket sales after expenses
- **Guarantee vs door:** Minimum payment OR percentage, whichever is higher

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## All Sources

### TikTok/Marketing
- Gupta Media
- Lebesgue
- Darkroom Agency

### EDM Specific
- EDM Festival Insider (edmfestivalinsider.com)
- EDM Tips (edmtips.com)
- Audio Jacked (audiojacked.com)
- DJ Mag, Mixmag references
- Reddit: r/EDM, r/aves, r/electricdaisycarnival, r/edmproduction

### General Industry
- Variety
- Billboard Dance
- Pollstar references
- Indie on the Move
- Ticket Fairy
- Musosoup
- Two Story Melody
- Reddit: r/WeAreTheMusicMakers, r/DJs

### Artist Data
- Bandsintown
- BeatStats (Beatport tracking)
- Social media profiles (Instagram, SoundCloud)

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*Research compiled from 8 parallel agents • 25+ sources cited*
