Gitnux/Report 2026

AR Music Industry Statistics

256Statistics
83Sources
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Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

An editor sets the topic, the inclusion criteria, and the evaluation framework before research starts.

02Source Research

AI search agents locate sources and extract each figure together with the document it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 39 days

01 Industry overview

The ar music industry at a glance

AR music remains an emerging niche within a global recorded-music market that reached $31.7 billion in 2025, while AR/VR hardware adoption is shifting toward smart glasses.

$31.7B[22]
Global recorded music, 2025
47.6%[75]
AR headset CAGR, 2026–2030
45.7%[75]
Meta AR/VR share, Q2 2026
$3,499[76]
Apple Vision Pro price, 2025
Market size
No reliable standalone global market-size estimate for AR music was identified. The closest authoritative context is global recorded music revenue of $31.7 billion in 2025, with streaming accounting for 69.6% of the total.[22]
Forecast & CAGR
IDC projects the augmented-reality category within its AR/VR headset market to grow at a 47.6% CAGR from 2026 to 2030. This is an adjacent hardware forecast, not a forecast for AR music revenue.[75]
Market share & regions
In 2025, USA and Canada accounted for 38.7% of global recorded-music revenue. Latin America was the fastest-growing recorded-music region, increasing 17.1% in 2025, while Europe grew 5.6%.[22]
Segmentation
AR/VR hardware is segmented by augmented reality, extended reality, mixed reality and virtual reality. In Q2 2026, mixed reality represented 49.3% of shipments, extended reality 46.0%, augmented reality 1.9% and virtual reality 2.8%; music applications sit within the broader entertainment and content layer.[75]
Key players & concentration
Meta held 45.7% of worldwide AR/VR headset shipments in Q2 2026. In the mixed-reality category, Meta held 89.6%, followed by ByteDance at 6.8% and Apple at 2.6%, indicating high concentration in the principal hardware platform relevant to immersive music experiences.[75]
Pricing
Consumer pricing varies substantially by device class. Apple’s M5 Vision Pro started at $3,499 in the United States in 2025, while IDC reported average smart-glasses pricing of about $376 in 2026 and forecast approximately $229 by 2030 as the category scales.[76][75]
Trends, drivers & challenges
The main technology trend is a shift from bulky headsets toward glasses: worldwide AR/VR headset shipments grew 5.1% year over year in Q2 2026, while extended-reality glasses grew 79.8%. Constraints include high device prices, component-cost pressure and the small current shipment base for pure AR devices, which represented 1.9% of Q2 2026 shipments.[75]
Consumer behavior & competition
Recorded-music consumption is increasingly subscription-led: paid subscription accounts reached 837 million in 2025, and subscription streaming represented 52.4% of global recorded-music revenue. Hardware competition is led by Meta, which held 45.7% of AR/VR headset shipments in Q2 2026, while RayNeo, XREAL, Viture and Rokid expanded their positions.[22][75]
Regulation
IFPI identified copyright protection, responsible generative-AI partnerships and action against streaming fraud as key policy issues for music in 2026. These issues are relevant to AR music because immersive experiences may combine recorded music, audiovisual assets, user data and AI-generated content, although no standalone AR-music regulation dataset was identified.[22]
Latest news
In October 2026, IDC reported that worldwide AR/VR headset shipments grew 5.1% year over year in Q2 2026, with extended-reality glasses up 79.8% and augmented-reality devices up 14.1%. IDC also forecast 47.6% annual growth for augmented reality through 2030.[75]

02 Ranking

Top 6 Companies in the Ar Music Industry

The leading companies in the ar music industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 10, 2026 · Next review December 10, 2026

Verdict

Universal Music Argentina leads Gitnux's 2026 ar music ranking with an Overall score of 9.9, with Universal Music Group listing Universal Music Argentina among global labels. Sony Music Entertainment Argentina is the runner-up at 9.2, with Sony Music listing Sony Music Entertainment Argentina among worldwide offices.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in recorded music label services

    Universal Music Argentina

    AR

    Ranked #1 · 9.9 · Recorded music label services

    Why we picked it: It operates recorded music and artist development in Argentina under Universal’s global label structure.

    See in ranking ↓Visit universalmusic.com ↗

  2. Leader in artist management & development

    PopArt Music

    AR

    Ranked #3 · 7.0 · Artist management & development

    Why we picked it: It focuses on live programming and artist management across Latin America rather than recorded catalog operations.

    See in ranking ↓Visit popartmusic.com ↗

  3. Leader in live concerts & festivals

    DF Entertainment

    AR

    Ranked #4 · 7.0 · Live concerts & festivals

    Why we picked it: It produces live music shows and festivals through an association with Live Nation.

    See in ranking ↓Visit dfentertainment.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 6 companies in the ar music industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Universal Music Argentina

Recorded music label services · AR

9.9
2

Sony Music Entertainment Argentina

Recorded music label services · AR

9.2
3

PopArt Music

Artist management & development · AR

7.0
4

DF Entertainment

Live concerts & festivals · AR

7.0
5

Dale Play

Artist management & development · AR

7.0
6

Fenix Entertainment

Live shows, festivals and music production · AR

7.0

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 10, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Top 6 companies in the ar music industry. In AR Music Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ar-music-industry-statistics/#top-companies

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

AI content generation and automated activity are measurable: Deezer tagged 13.4 million AI-generated tracks in 2025. AR music production must account for detection and fraud handling at scale.

AI in the ar music industry

  • 44% of Deezer’s daily uploads were AI-generated in April 2026, equal to approximately 75,000 tracks per day.[1]
  • 10% of Deezer’s daily uploads were fully AI-generated when its detection system launched in January 2025, or approximately 10,000 tracks per day.[2]
  • 13.4 million AI-generated tracks were detected and tagged by Deezer during 2025.[3]
  • 28% of Deezer’s daily uploads were fully AI-generated in September 2025, equivalent to approximately 30,000 tracks per day.[2]
  • 50%+ of Deezer’s daily uploads were fully AI-generated on peak days in June 2026.[2]
  • 90,000 fully AI-generated tracks per day were delivered to Deezer in June 2026, representing more than 50% of uploads on peak days.[2]

Automation in the ar music industry

  • 75 million spammy tracks were removed by Spotify during the 12 months ending September 2025, in part addressing automated and fraudulent music activity.[4]
  • 1%–3% of music streams across major platforms in France were estimated to be artificial in 2021, according to the Centre national de la musique.[5]

Digital Transformation in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 94% of media companies reported gains from digital-transformation efforts in 2025, the highest result among industries surveyed globally.[6]
  • 44% of surveyed news publishers said their newsroom AI initiatives were showing promising results in 2026, while 42% described results as limited globally.[7]
  • 62% of media respondents said companies are not investing enough in future business models in 2026, indicating a significant transformation funding gap globally.[7]
  • 76% of publisher respondents planned to encourage staff to behave more like creators in 2026, reflecting a shift toward creator-oriented digital publishing globally.[7]

Technology Adoption in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 69% of digital-publishing stakeholders expected journalists to have a voice on social media in 2026, according to a survey of 163 publishing-sector participants.[8]
  • 76% of publishers were piloting or experimenting with AI on business-side functions in 2025, while 18% were actively deploying AI across multiple functions.[9]
  • 30% of publishers reported using AI for content optimization and personalization in 2025, based on a survey of 50 U.S. and UK publishers.[10]
  • 22% of publishers reported not using AI for content creation and distribution in 2025, based on a survey of U.S. and UK publishers.[10]

Cloud Computing in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 35.4% of media and entertainment respondents identified migration to a multicloud environment as a technology trend driving observability requirements in 2025.[11]
  • 43% of media respondents cited insufficient internal skills for edge computing or specific cloud environments as a major multicloud challenge in 2023.[12]
  • 55% of media respondents identified complexity as their biggest multicloud challenge, including integration, scaling and maintenance issues, in 2023.[12]
  • 98% of media respondents expected a majority of their workloads to be cloud-native within 12 months, according to a global media and entertainment survey conducted in 2023.[12]
  • 39% of media respondents identified cloud-sprawl costs, data-egress charges and unpredictable pricing as a major multicloud pain point in 2023.[12]

Big Data in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 27.8% of media and entertainment respondents identified integrating business applications into workflows as a technology trend driving observability requirements in 2025.[11]
  • 35.4% of media and entertainment respondents identified AI adoption as a technology trend driving observability requirements in 2025, reflecting growing use of data-intensive systems.[11]
  • 39% of publishing-sector stakeholders identified data and analytics capabilities as an investment priority for the year ahead in 2025.[13]
  • 56% of surveyed publishers said unifying data across platforms was a growing challenge in 2025, based on responses from 50 U.S. and UK publishers.[10]

Blockchain in the ar music industry

  • 3 blockchain projects were identified among 745 performing-arts technology applications reviewed in the United States in 2024.[14]
  • 80% of music NFTs in Water & Music’s Latin American dataset used Ethereum in 2022.[15]
  • 2.6% of music NFTs in Water & Music’s Latin American dataset used Solana in 2022.[15]
  • 13.4% of music NFTs in Water & Music’s Latin American dataset used Tezos in 2022.[15]
  • 6.5% of music NFTs in Water & Music’s Latin American dataset used Polygon in 2022.[15]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Artist discovery and AI use depend on data quality and integration. In March 2026, 75% of publishers reported incomplete, inconsistent or outdated data limiting AI tools.

Business intelligence in the ar music industry

  • US$3.9 billion was invested annually in A&R by record companies globally in 2023, providing funding for data-informed artist development and discovery.[16]
  • 78.5% of surveyed A&R professionals said data did not play a crucial role in A&R in 2021, despite the perceived increase in its importance since 2017.[17]
  • 75.3% of surveyed music-industry professionals used Instagram for talent discovery, according to Viberate’s survey.[18]
  • US$3.2 billion was invested annually in artist marketing by record companies globally in 2023.[16]
  • 46.5% of surveyed music-industry professionals used music-analytics tools such as Viberate, Chartmetric and Soundcharts for talent discovery.[18]
  • 51% of surveyed A&R professionals said they had discovered artists on SoundCloud who later became commercially successful.[18]

Data analytics in the ar music industry

  • US$14.9 billion was generated by U.S. recorded-music streaming in 2024.[19]
  • 84% of U.S. recorded-music revenue came from streaming in 2024, according to the RIAA.[19]
  • 51% of U.K. YouTube users also used a premium music-streaming service in the 2021 IFPI consumer survey.[20]
  • 30–40% of total premium plans at one surveyed music-streaming service were additional new plans in 2021.[20]
  • 4.7 million was the net increase in premium music-streaming users in 2018.[20]
  • Nearly 2 million premium music-streaming users were added on a net basis in 2021.[20]

Data Quality in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 75% of publishers surveyed globally in March 2026 said incomplete, inconsistent or outdated data affected the quality or usefulness of their AI tools.[9]
  • 64% of publishers surveyed globally in March 2026 identified difficulty integrating data sources into AI tools as their greatest data challenge.[9]
  • 52% of publishers surveyed in 2023 reported low data quality as a challenge when segmenting customer data.[9]
  • 63% of publishers surveyed in 2023 reported low data quality as a challenge when collecting customer data.[9]

Data Governance in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 28% of European media organisations surveyed in 2025 reported having a partially implemented data strategy.[21]
  • 37% of European media organisations surveyed in 2025 reported having no data strategy.[21]
  • 92% of European media stakeholders surveyed in 2025 required robust data and privacy protection before joining a shared media data space.[21]
  • 46% of European media organisations surveyed in 2025 had a dedicated data team, while 34% had no dedicated data team.[21]
  • 72% of European media organisations surveyed in 2025 considered data very important to their daily operations.[21]
  • 28% of European media organisations surveyed in 2025 reported having a fully implemented data strategy.[21]

KPIs in the ar music industry

  • 9.5% was the increase in global streaming revenue in 2024.[22]
  • 5.9% was the increase in global performance-rights revenue in 2024.[23]
  • 13.5% was the increase in subscription-streaming revenue in Australasia in 2023.[16]
  • 69.0% of global recorded-music revenue came from streaming in 2024.[22]
  • 752 million paid music-subscription accounts existed globally at the end of 2024.[22]
  • 8.4% was recorded-music revenue growth in New Zealand in 2023.[16]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

AR music investment is visible through funded platforms and acquisitions, including $207 million for Napster in 2025. User reach targets include millions of users receiving immersive audio tools in 2025.

Growth in the ar music industry

  • $9 million was raised by AR music platform Encore in 2022 to develop interactive performances and fan experiences.[18]
  • 110 million tracks were available on Napster when Infinite Reality announced its 2025 acquisition, supporting its strategy to combine music streaming with immersive technology.[24]
  • $20 million was raised by UK avatar-concert producer Unit1 Studio in 2026 to expand its mixed-reality concert roster internationally.[25]
  • $207 million was the announced acquisition price for Napster by extended-reality company Infinite Reality in 2025.[24]
  • $10.7 million was invested in Mixhalo’s Series A round in 2019 to scale its audio-augmented-reality platform for live venues.[26]
  • 80% of Encore’s in-app virtual “clap” payments were allocated to creators, according to the company’s 2022 model.[18]

Differentiation in the ar music industry

  • 100 million users were to receive access to Sony 360 Reality Audio creation and playback tools through BandLab’s platform in 2025.[18]
  • 10 cents was the value of Encore’s virtual “clap” microtransaction, designed to differentiate its AR performance model through direct fan participation.[18]
  • 60 minutes was the length of the virtual-reality concert film released by deadmau5 in partnership with Soundscape in 2024.[27]
  • $18.99 was Supernatural’s monthly subscription price for its music-based VR fitness service, according to a 2022 court filing.[28]
  • 800-plus immersive music-based workouts were offered by Supernatural, an augmented- and virtual-reality service, according to a 2022 court filing.[28]
  • 4 AR-experienced developers joined NexTech AR Solutions through its acquisition of the AirShow music application in 2020.[29]

Mergers and acquisitions in the ar music industry

  • 20 interactive-music and AR/VR patents were sold from Beamz Interactive’s portfolio in 2020.[30]
  • $1 billion had been paid to artists and songwriters by Napster over two decades when Infinite Reality announced its 2025 acquisition.[24]
  • $120,000 was raised by AR music platform Wavy in its January 2017 seed round before its later acquisition by Ubiquity6.[31]
  • $207 million was the announced value of Infinite Reality’s 2025 acquisition of Napster, combining a music service with XR and AI capabilities.[24]
  • $70 million was the approximate value of MelodyVR’s 2020 acquisition of Napster, according to company information compiled by Dealroom.[32]

Strategic partnerships in the ar music industry

  • 600 million monthly active users were reached by Snapchat when it announced its multi-year AR partnership with Live Nation in 2022.[18]
  • 100 million BandLab users were given a pathway to create and experience spatial music through Sony’s 360 Reality Audio partnership in 2025.[18]
  • 850-plus artists were included in MelodyVR’s licensed immersive-content roster through partnerships with major record labels, according to Dealroom’s company profile.[32]
  • 5.7 million users formed Napster’s user base at the end of 2020 when MelodyVR pursued an integrated immersive-video and music-streaming strategy.[32]
  • 330 million daily active users were reached by Snapchat when its Live Nation AR partnership was announced in 2022.[18]
  • 16 major events were covered by Snapchat’s exclusive AR partnership with Live Nation, according to a 2024 academic review of the collaboration.[33]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce capacity and skills are recurring constraints across music organizations. In 2025, 91% of UK music employers expecting staff growth also anticipated needing to upgrade workforce skills.

Hiring in the ar music industry

  • 57% of UK music employers expected to increase staff numbers over the following three to five years, according to 2025 research.[34]
  • 44% of UK music employers said skills gaps existed because employees were new to their roles in 2025.[34]
  • 15% of Welsh creative businesses, including music businesses, encountered difficulties filling specific roles in 2024.[35]
  • 36% of UK music employers said skills gaps existed because employees had only partially completed required training in 2025.[34]
  • 69% of Welsh creative freelancers, including music freelancers, reported struggling to find work in 2024.[35]

Employee retention in the ar music industry

  • 46.6% of workers at participating UK independent record labels were women, while women held 31.5% of executive and senior-management roles, indicating a senior-level retention gap in the sample.[36]
  • 7% of Welsh creative businesses, including music businesses, experienced staff-retention challenges in 2024.[35]

Remote Work in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across independent UK publishers, 84% of staff worked partly or fully from home in 2025.[37]
  • In the U.S. entertainment and media sector, 37.4% of new job postings were remote in 2024.[38]
  • Across independent UK publishers, 42% of staff worked fully from home in 2025.[37]
  • Across entertainment and media job postings, 369,000 new remote-job listings were recorded globally in 2024.[38]

Hybrid Work in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 52% of newsroom leaders worldwide said hybrid and flexible working had made recruitment easier in 2023; 28% reported no change and 15% said recruitment became harder.[39]
  • Across independent UK publishers, 58% of organizations required full-time staff to work a minimum number of days in the office in 2025.[37]
  • Across independent UK publishers, 42% of staff had hybrid working arrangements in 2025.[37]
  • 38% of full-time Australian journalists worked in a hybrid combination of home and office, studio or newsroom in 2022, up from 8% before the pandemic.[40]
  • 42% of staff at UK independent publishers had hybrid working arrangements in 2025, while 42% worked fully from home and 16% worked fully in an office.[37]

Upskilling in the ar music industry

  • 31% of UK music employers cited managers lacking time as a training barrier in 2025.[34]
  • 91% of UK music employers expecting staff growth also anticipated needing to upgrade workforce skills over the following three to five years.[34]
  • Approximately 75% of UK music employers provided training during the year before the 2025 survey.[34]
  • 78% of UK music employers identified new products or services as a driver of future upskilling needs in 2025.[34]
  • 51% of UK music employers cited insufficient funding as a barrier to providing more training in 2025.[34]

Employee Engagement in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • Creative and media employees rated meaningful work 8.76 out of 10 in CultureMonkey’s Q3 2026 benchmark.[41]
  • Across communications and public-relations professionals, 89% reported being engaged at work in a 2024 survey.[42]
  • Creative and media employees scored 7.67 out of 10 for engagement in CultureMonkey’s Q3 2026 benchmark.[41]
  • Creative and media employees rated autonomy 8.62 out of 10 in CultureMonkey’s Q3 2026 benchmark.[41]
  • Creative and media employees recorded an average eNPS of +22 in CultureMonkey’s Q3 2026 benchmark.[41]

DEI in the ar music industry

  • 25.1% of UK Music Workforce Diversity Survey respondents reported a disability, neurodiversity or long-term health condition in 2024.[43]
  • 20.9% of UK Music Workforce Diversity Survey respondents came from working-class backgrounds in 2024.[43]
  • 48.3% of senior-level respondents in the UK music workforce identified as women in 2024.[43]
  • 53.8% of respondents to the 2024 UK Music Workforce Diversity Survey identified as women.[43]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

AR activations show measurable on-site and campaign outcomes, such as 59,000-plus on-site AR opens at Coachella in 2024. These metrics inform evaluation of immersive audience engagement.

Customer experience in the ar music industry

  • 19.4 percentage points of ad recall were generated by Liam Payne’s AR game campaign in the 2020 case study.[44]
  • 2 minutes was the average dwell time for AT&T’s Karol G in-store AR experience in the United States in 2023.[45]
  • 63% of Coachella attendees considered Nike a good fit for the festival during the 2024 United States activation.[46]
  • 59,000-plus on-site AR opens were recorded during Nike’s Coachella activation in the United States in 2024.[46]
  • 4–6 minutes was the dwell time for Karol G super fans using AT&T’s in-store AR experience in the United States in 2023.[45]

Customer retention in the ar music industry

  • 82% of Coachella attendees intended to purchase Nike within the next 12 months after the 2024 activation.[46]
  • 86% of Coachella attendees would consider purchasing Nike within the next 12 months after the 2024 activation.[46]
  • 86% of Coachella attendees expressed positive sentiment toward Nike during the United States festival activation in 2024.[46]
  • 3% growth in consideration and advocacy followed Nike’s Coachella activation in the United States in 2024.[46]
  • 55% of young Hispanic participants said they would visit an AT&T store again after using the Karol G AR experience in the United States in 2023.[45]

Customer acquisition in the ar music industry

  • 8 million-plus paid-media impressions were generated by Nike’s Coachella campaign across TikTok, Meta and Snapchat in 2024.[46]
  • 232 pairs of Nike DN sneakers were sold across both Coachella weekends in the United States in 2024.[46]
  • 73.1 million media impressions were generated by AT&T’s Karol G music campaign in the United States in 2023.[45]
  • 1 million-plus organic social impressions were generated by Nike’s Coachella campaign across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Facebook in 2024.[46]
  • 9 million unique Snapchatters were reached by Deezer’s multiformat campaign, including its AR Lens, according to 2026 campaign data.[47]

Customer loyalty in the ar music industry

  • 63% of Coachella attendees said Nike was a good fit for the festival during the United States activation in 2024.[46]
  • 8 percentage points was the increase in Deezer subscription intent among Snapchatters exposed to its AR Lens campaign, according to 2026 data.[47]
  • 65% of young Hispanic participants said they were likely to consider AT&T in the future after the Karol G AR experience in 2023.[45]
  • 15 percentage points was the increase in Deezer overall brand opinion among Snapchatters exposed to its AR Lens campaign, according to 2026 data.[47]
  • 86% of Coachella attendees had positive sentiment toward Nike during the United States activation in 2024.[46]

Lead generation in the ar music industry

  • Conversion rates above 75% are reported for Certifi World’s verified first-party audience-data platform for artists, labels and events, according to a 2026 Innovate UK profile.[48]
  • 63,000 on-site impressions were recorded by Nike’s AR experience at Coachella in the United States in 2024.[46]
  • £0.49 was the reported cost per click for Liam Payne’s AR music campaign in the 2020 Mobile Marketing Association case study.[44]
  • 32,000 at-home impressions were recorded by Nike’s AR experience connected to Coachella in the United States in 2024.[46]
  • 466 shares were recorded from Nike’s at-home AR experience connected to Coachella in the United States in 2024.[46]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

AR-linked campaigns connect to brand opinion and subscription intent, with an 8-point lift in likelihood to subscribe to Deezer from AR Lens exposure in 2026 data.

Marketing in the ar music industry

  • 50% of Pepsi’s campaign impact on top-of-mind awareness came from Snapchat in a Saudi Arabian music campaign using five AR Lenses; campaign year not stated.[47]
  • 8 points was the lift in likelihood to subscribe to Deezer among users exposed to its AR Lens campaign; campaign year not stated.[47]
  • 10% of the campaign’s incremental impact on store traffic was generated by an AR experience for AT&T and Karol G, according to the case study; campaign year not stated.[45]
  • 6 percentage points was the lift in recommendation intent from Pepsi’s Saudi Arabian music campaign using Snapchat AR; campaign year not stated.[47]
  • 4 percentage points was the lift in Pepsi brand favorability from its Saudi Arabian music campaign using Snapchat AR; campaign year not stated.[47]

Digital marketing in the ar music industry

  • Two-thirds of recorded concert footage was never played back by UK gig-goers in 2024, according to research cited in the music-industry report.[49]
  • 10% was the reported increase in store traffic associated with the AT&T and Karol G AR fan experience; campaign year not stated.[45]
  • 42 million times was the play count for Snapchat’s first full-song Lens, created for Major Lazer’s “Front of the Line” campaign; campaign year not stated.[50]
  • 9 million Snapchatters were reached by Deezer using Snap Ads, Commercials and an AR Lens in one integrated digital music campaign; campaign year not stated.[47]
  • 3.1 million Snapchatters engaged with Deezer through the AR Lens component of its digital music campaign; campaign year not stated.[47]

Branding in the ar music industry

  • 15 points was the increase in overall Deezer brand opinion among Snapchatters exposed to its music-focused AR Lens campaign; campaign year not stated.[47]
  • 50% of Pepsi’s top-of-mind-awareness campaign impact came from Snapchat in its Saudi Arabian music activation; campaign year not stated.[47]
  • 4 percentage points was the lift in Pepsi brand favorability from its Snapchat AR music activation in Saudi Arabia; campaign year not stated.[47]
  • 8 points was the increase in likelihood to subscribe to Deezer among users exposed to its AR Lens campaign; campaign year not stated.[47]
  • 6 percentage points was the lift in Pepsi recommendation intent from its Snapchat AR music activation in Saudi Arabia; campaign year not stated.[47]

Social media in the ar music industry

  • 82% of Gen Z respondents discovered new artists or music through social media or user-generated video sites in Deloitte’s U.S. study.[51]
  • 3.1 million Snapchatters reached Deezer through its AR Lens, within a 9-million-person Snapchat music campaign; campaign year not stated.[47]
  • 70% of millennials discovered new artists or music through social media or user-generated video sites in Deloitte’s U.S. study.[51]
  • 50% of Pepsi’s top-of-mind-awareness impact came from Snapchat in its Saudi Arabian music campaign; campaign year not stated.[47]
  • 42 million plays were generated on Snapchat by Major Lazer’s full-song AR Lens for “Front of the Line”; campaign year not stated.[50]

Influencer Marketing in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 96% of media-agency respondents in a 2026 survey said social media was used for creator-brand partnerships, making it the most-used channel globally.[52]
  • $37.1 billion was projected for U.S. creator advertising spend in 2025, including sponsored content, paid amplification and planned creator adjacencies.[53]
  • 69% of brands using influencer marketing reported using TikTok in 2024, compared with 47% using Instagram, 33% YouTube and 28% Facebook.[54]
  • $32.6 billion was the estimated global influencer-marketing market in 2025, up from $24.0 billion in 2024.[53]
  • 56% of brands said generating user-generated content was the main purpose of their influencer campaigns in 2024, versus 23% citing sales generation.[54]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Operations rely on ongoing discovery workflows: 63.2% of A&R professionals used streaming services daily for artist discovery in 2024. Delivery-scale AI activity also increases operational risk and compliance load.

Process optimization in the ar music industry

  • 77% of the 125 professionals surveyed in 2024 were label managers or label A&Rs, representing 96 respondents globally.[18]
  • 63.2% of A&R professionals surveyed used streaming services daily for artist discovery in 2024, across a global sample.[18]
  • 75.3% of surveyed music professionals used Instagram for talent discovery in 2024, globally.[18]
  • 6.5% of surveyed music professionals were based in the United Kingdom in 2024.[18]
  • 24.7% of surveyed music professionals were based in the United States in 2024, the largest single country group.[18]

Operational efficiency in the ar music industry

  • US$7.1 billion was invested annually in A&R and marketing by record companies worldwide in the IFPI Global Music Report 2024.[23]
  • 11.3% was recorded-music revenue growth in Australia in 2023.[23]
  • 19.9% was South Africa’s recorded-music revenue growth in 2023.[23]
  • US$3.9 billion was invested annually in A&R by record companies worldwide in the IFPI Global Music Report 2024.[23]
  • 77% of sub-Saharan Africa’s regional recorded-music revenue came from South Africa in 2023.[23]

Quality management in the ar music industry

  • 20.2% was the growth in artists’ share of global sales revenue between 2016 and 2021, according to IFPI.[23]
  • 89.3% of A&R professionals surveyed in 2021 identified originality of the music as an important scouting trait.[17]
  • 78.5% of A&R professionals surveyed in 2021 said data did not play a crucial role in A&R decisions.[17]
  • 13% of music companies’ total revenue was estimated to be spent on artist marketing in the historical IFPI analysis.[55]
  • 30% of music-industry revenue was estimated to be spent on discovering, developing and promoting talent in the historical IFPI analysis.[55]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 82% of surveyed academic publishers offshored work, according to Deanta’s global academic-publishing survey; the survey year is not stated on the source page.[56]
  • 37% of academic publishers outsourced the majority of copyediting to offshore vendors in 2025, based on a global survey concentrated in the United Kingdom and United States.[57]
  • 28% of academic publishers outsourced the majority of proofreading to offshore vendors in 2025, based on a global survey concentrated in the United Kingdom and United States.[57]
  • 65% of surveyed academic publishers were concerned about offshoring work, according to Deanta’s global academic-publishing survey; the survey year is not stated on the source page.[56]
  • 24% of academic publishers outsourced the majority of indexing to offshore vendors in 2025, based on a global survey concentrated in the United Kingdom and United States.[57]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Pricing remains polarized across devices and experiences, including Apple Vision Pro at $3,499 in 2025. IDC also reported average smart-glasses pricing at about $376 in 2026.

Pricing strategy in the ar music industry

  • 20% of potential U.K. location-based VR/AR entertainment customers in 2024 expected an average ticket price of £41–60.[58]
  • 75% was the attendance rate for AmazeVR’s 2022 Megan Thee Stallion virtual concert screenings across 15 U.S. cities.[2]
  • 76% of interested U.S. virtual-concert audiences in 2022 said they would likely pay more for a closer view of artists.[59]
  • $20–25 was the ticket price for AmazeVR’s 2022 Megan Thee Stallion virtual concert screenings in U.S. AMC theaters.[2]
  • 29% of potential U.K. location-based VR/AR customers in 2024 expected an average ticket price of £0–20.[58]

Cost reduction in the ar music industry

  • 15 U.S. cities were included in AmazeVR’s 2022 commercial virtual-concert tour, enabling one production to reach multiple markets.[2]
  • $17 million was raised by Los Angeles-based AmazeVR in 2022 to expand immersive music experiences and virtual-concert production.[2]
  • 15–20% was the estimated average theater occupancy rate used by AmazeVR for comparison with its 2022 virtual concerts.[2]
  • 4.3 times the average theater occupancy rate was reported for AmazeVR’s 2022 virtual concerts, compared with estimated conventional theater occupancy of 15–20%.[2]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Immersive music demand aligns with both live enhancement and paid willingness, including 42% of UK concert goers interested in virtual or augmented reality in 2023. Snapchat AR scale supports distribution for music experiences.

Product development in the ar music industry

  • 85% of Snapchatters reported using Snapchat to enhance their live-music experience, according to Snap’s 2023 survey.[60]
  • 300 million Snapchatters engaged with augmented reality daily on average in 2024, supporting the scale of AR products used in music and live entertainment.[60]
  • 16 major music festivals were included in Snap’s 2023 multi-year Live Nation partnership to develop custom augmented-reality experiences in the United States.[60]

Product lifecycle in the ar music industry

  • 22% of U.S. music listeners attended both in-person and virtual live-music events in 2021.[61]
  • 30% of U.S. music listeners attended a virtual live-music event in 2021.[61]
  • 42% of UK concert and festival goers were interested in live performances enhanced by virtual or augmented reality in 2023.[62]
  • 57% of UK concert and festival goers aged 16–34 were interested in live performances enhanced by virtual or augmented reality in 2023.[62]
  • 26% of U.S. music listeners attended both in-person and virtual live-music events in 2022.[61]

After-sales in the ar music industry

  • 4 performances made up Lil Nas X’s Roblox virtual concert weekend in November 2020, including a surprise encore that extended audience access to the music product.[63]
  • 1 exclusive Rolling Stones Band Tees collection was offered through Snapchat’s Bitmoji wardrobe alongside the band’s AR music experience in 2023.[60]

Value proposition in the ar music industry

  • 80% of U.S. adults interested in virtual or metaverse concerts said they would pay more for the ability to control the viewing angle.[59]
  • 75% of French real-time livestream concert viewers were interested in augmented-reality music shows.[64]
  • 80% of U.S. adults interested in virtual or metaverse concerts said they would pay more to choose songs from a list.[59]
  • 70% of French real-time livestream concert viewers were interested in metaverse concerts.[64]
  • 71% of U.S. adults interested in virtual or metaverse concerts said they would pay more for a virtual one-to-one experience with an artist’s avatar.[59]

14 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Distribution pathways scale geographically via mobile AR platforms. In 2022, Google’s ARCore Geospatial API could support world-scale AR experiences across more than 100 countries.

Globalization in the ar music industry

  • 16 major music festivals across the United States, the United Kingdom and France were included in Snapchat’s 2023 Live Nation AR program.[60]
  • More than 250 million people engaged with Snapchat AR every day when Snap’s AR Studio described its global music-related Centre Pompidou collaboration.[60]
  • 2 cities—New York and London—hosted Gorillaz’s initial location-based AR performances of “Skinny Ape” in December 2022.[73]
  • More than 100 countries could support world-scale AR experiences through Google’s ARCore Geospatial API in 2022, enabling Gorillaz to distribute an immersive music performance internationally.[73]
  • 85% of Snapchatters surveyed in 2023 said they used Snapchat to enhance their experience of attending live music.[60]

Cultural adaptation in the ar music industry

  • 1 personalized musical loop could be created by users in Snap’s “Playing Pompidou” AR experience using sounds recorded inside Paris’s Centre Pompidou.[60]
  • 2 iconic urban locations—Times Square and Piccadilly Circus—were used for Gorillaz’s culturally localized AR performances in New York and London in December 2022.[73]
  • 2 access modes—on-site at the Centre Pompidou and remotely through Snapchat—were offered for the institution’s AR musical experience.[60]
  • 3 members of The Rolling Stones—Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood—were represented as 3D Bitmoji avatars in Snapchat’s 2023 AR music experience.[60]

Supplier management in the ar music industry

  • About 12 startups were presented to independent music companies through the British Phonographic Industry’s Matchmaker initiative before labels selected holographic XR as a preferred application.[74]
  • 1 integration between Snap AR and Disguise’s RenderStream was announced in 2023 to connect Snapchat AR visuals with live-event production systems.[60]
  • 5 days of volumetric-video studio production preceded the 2024 Brit Awards AR hologram experiments involving UK record companies and artists.[74]

Stakeholder management in the ar music industry

  • 57% of UK concert and festival goers aged 16–34 surveyed in 2023 were interested in live performances enhanced with virtual or augmented reality.[62]
  • 300 million Snapchatters engaged with AR daily on average in 2024, providing a large audience base for music-related AR partnerships and artist activations.[60]
  • More than 50 venues, teams, artists and broadcast partners had partnered with Snapchat Cam by September 2024, including Madison Square Garden and the Indiana Fever.[60]
  • 75% of French real-time livestreamed-concert viewers surveyed were interested in augmented-reality concerts, according to a 2022 national study.[64]
  • 42% of UK concert and festival goers surveyed in 2023 were interested in live performances enhanced with virtual or augmented reality.[62]

Distribution channels in the ar music industry

  • 3 distribution environments—Snapchat, live festival venues and artist concerts—were included in Snap’s 2023 AR music strategy with Live Nation and Kygo.[60]
  • 31% of gamers surveyed by IFPI had attended a virtual concert on platforms such as Fortnite, Roblox or Minecraft in 2021.[22]
  • 2 mobile operating systems—Android and iOS—supported the Gorillaz Presents AR music experience announced in 2022.[73]
  • 12.3 million spectators attended the first Travis Scott Fortnite concert, according to the same 2022 study of digitally distributed music performances.[64]
  • 52% of gamers surveyed by IFPI in 2021 were interested in watching virtual music concerts on gaming platforms.[22]

Key questions about the ar music industry

How big is the overall music market that AR music connects to in 2026?
The closest reliable context is global recorded-music revenue at $31.7 billion in 2025, with streaming at 69.6% of total revenue.
What growth rates matter for immersive hardware used for AR music experiences?
IDC projected augmented reality within its AR/VR headset category to grow at a 47.6% CAGR from 2026 to 2030. IDC also reported worldwide AR/VR headset shipments grew 5.1% year over year in Q2 2026.
Which companies lead the ar music industry?
Universal Music Argentina leads Gitnux's 2026 ar music ranking with an Overall score of 9.9, with Universal Music Group listing Universal Music Argentina among global labels. Sony Music Entertainment Argentina is the runner-up at 9.2, with Sony Music listing Sony Music Entertainment Argentina among worldwide offices.
What technology shift is most relevant to AR music delivery in 2026?
Hardware adoption is shifting toward smart glasses, with extended-reality glasses up 79.8% and augmented-reality devices at 1.9% of Q2 2026 shipments.
How concentrated is the AR/VR hardware supply relevant to immersive music experiences?
Meta held 45.7% of worldwide AR/VR headset shipments in Q2 2026, and in mixed reality Meta held 89.6% of shipments.
How do AI-generated music issues show up in industry operations affecting AR music content?
Deezer detected and tagged 13.4 million AI-generated tracks during 2025, while 70% of plays for fully AI-generated tracks on Deezer were detected as fraudulent by September 2025.
Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). AR Music Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ar-music-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "AR Music Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 10 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/ar-music-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "AR Music Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ar-music-industry-statistics.

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