With vast amounts of content comes valuable insights – and as a company operating on the frontlines of the UGC boom, we have analyzed millions of videos to pull together insights on how UGC differs between artists and genres.

This report is collated from the data gleaned from 10 million unlicensed high-view growth videos that we algorithmically discovered – 400,000 videos of which we manually claimed. These videos have garnered 50 billion lifetime views and are gaining 1 billion views every month. These views have never been attributed to these artists, leaving millions of dollars on the table.

For all music UGC identified in our study, 38.6% were covers, 23.9% of videos were remixes, and 22.7% of videos were of live events. 

As we might expect, the type and popularity of UGC differs across music genres. Fans of rock love to cover classic rock songs – and post them to the internet. 41% of rock’s views (N.B. not the number of videos) come from cover videos, followed by pop at 40% and country at 34%. Hip-hop covers come in last at 27%.

However, when it comes to remixes, the trend is inverted – hip-hop fans are engaging with more remix videos which comprise 33% of their views compared to rock, which comes in last at 23%. Interestingly, the proportion of views for live videos tends to be fairly consistent across different genres. Different genres and musical styles naturally lend themselves to different types of content. Hip-hop originated from sampling, which is effectively a type of remix, meaning that it is musically aligned with the remix format from fans. Genres like rock, pop and country lend themselves better to covers. The comparatively easy access to instruments such as acoustic guitars creates a lower barrier to entry for fans and hobbyists to upload this sort of content online. These genres also feature dynamic vocals, strong melodies, and memorable hooks, which makes them a popular choice for vocalists to showcase their skills.

Variation of favored types of UGC that fans both create and watch, also occurs within genres, varying greatly from artist to artist. Funnily enough, it turns out that if you don’t tour in 8 years like Rihanna, there aren’t many concert videos online. Only 10% of her videos we analyzed are live concerts. Rihanna has only had three live performances since her Anti World Tour in 2016, the most notable being the Super Bowl LVII halftime show in 2023. 42% of Rihanna’s videos are remixes.

On the other side of the fence is Beyoncé, who wildly swings in the other direction with 66% of her videos being live concert videos. Since 2016, Beyoncé has had 3 tours, with the Renaissance World Tour grossing over $500 million and being the 7th highest-grossing tour of all time. Despite Renaissance being a dance music album ostensibly, only 12% of her videos are remixes. There is no doubt that Beyoncé has absolutely dominated the global live UGC market, compared even to the likes of Taylor Swift. This is down to the sheer scale of the immersive visual spectacle she created, from the costumes (Mugler! Balmain! Coperni! Iris van Herpen!) to the special guests (Diana Ross! Kendrick! Megan Thee Stallion! Tina Knowles!) to the viral moments (Blue Ivy dancing! The Mute Challenge! The who’s who of VIP celebrity guests in the crowd!) – not one element of the Renaissance tour was not carefully choreographed and orchestrated to create the ultimate filmable show. 

Online video platforms have dramatically decreased the barrier to entry for professionals and amateurs alike to give detailed tutorials for free. Consequently, we are witnessing a burgeoning trend of people creating content that teaches others how to emulate their favorite artists. Within this, again we find certain genres and artists are more conducive to inspiring people to learn their style. Of all the videos we claimed, 2.1% were tutorials. Certain genres like rock, motivate fans to go out and learn how to play instruments. The proportion of tutorials for rock was 14% higher than for all other genres. There is a reason why people continue to air guitar.

So who inspires the greatest number of tutorials? Van Halen takes it to the next level and fills fans with a spirit of urgency. The proportion of tutorials within total Van Halen videos was 3 times higher than all other genres. 67% of videos featuring Val Halen’s music were covers and 49% of videos were pure instrumentals. We all know that Eddie Van Halen is uncopyable, but that can’t stop us from trying. 

UGC is being created all the time, all around us online. Each of these videos is a monetizable asset, with royalties being paid out to rights holders. When you start to look at these videos in their millions, we are talking about significant amounts of revenue that can be generated from existing catalog, often with little to no investment from the artist’s part. With a robust, insights-driven UGC strategy, artists can have more control over the UGC that is being created that features their music, ultimately helping their fans to interact more creatively and deeply with their music.

Stay tuned for more unmissable UGC insights, as we delve into what makes an artist more ‘UGC-able’; how artists’ streaming figures compare to the number of videos uploaded by their fans; what actions artists can take to help fans create more UGC – and more, next time.