Share of Voice Music

Share of voice measures an artist’s portion of the total conversation or advertising presence in their market. For musicians, share of voice indicates competitive visibility and helps assess whether promotional efforts are capturing appropriate attention.

Understanding Share of Voice

Definition

Market presence measurement:

• Percentage of total visibility
• Relative to competitors
• Within defined market
• Attention proportion

Why It Matters

Competitive context:

• Market position awareness
• Relative performance
• Investment calibration
• Growth measurement

Share of Voice vs. Market Share

Related concepts:

• SOV: Visibility and attention
• Market share: Actual results (streams, sales)
• SOV often predicts market share
• Leading indicator

Types of Share of Voice

Advertising Share of Voice

Paid presence:

• Share of advertising impressions
• Share of ad spend
• Visibility in paid media
• Investment proportion

Organic Share of Voice

Earned presence:

• Share of social mentions
• Share of media coverage
• Share of conversations
• Unpaid visibility

Total Share of Voice

Combined presence:

• Paid plus earned
• Complete picture
• Total visibility
• Market position

Calculating Share of Voice

Basic Formula

Simple calculation:

• Your visibility / Total market visibility
• Expressed as percentage
• Time-bound measurement
• Defined competitor set

Advertising SOV

Paid calculation:

• Your impressions / Total competitive impressions
• Or: Your spend / Total competitive spend
• Requires competitive intelligence
• Estimates often used

Social SOV

Conversation calculation:

• Your mentions / Total mentions
• Across defined competitors
• Social listening tools
• Brand monitoring

Share of Voice Metrics

Impression Share

Visibility proportion:

• Your impressions as % of total
• Platform-specific
• Audience overlap consideration
• Competitive context

Mention Share

Conversation proportion:

• Your mentions as % of total
• Social platforms
• News coverage
• Community discussions

Search Share

Discovery proportion:

• Your search volume vs. competitors
• Google Trends data
• Platform search
• Interest indicator

Engagement Share

Interaction proportion:

• Your engagement vs. competitors
• Likes, comments, shares
• Video views
• Relative attention

Measuring Advertising SOV

Platform Tools

Available data:

• Google Ads impression share
• Facebook auction insights
• Platform competitive data
• Limited but useful

Third-Party Estimates

External measurement:

• Competitive intelligence tools
• Media monitoring services
• Industry estimates
• Survey-based research

Proxy Measurements

Indirect indicators:

• Search volume comparison
• Social follower comparison
• Streaming comparison
• Correlation analysis

Measuring Organic SOV

Social Listening

Conversation tracking:

• Mention monitoring tools
• Brand mentions counting
• Competitor comparison
• Sentiment overlay

Media Monitoring

Coverage tracking:

• News mentions
• Blog coverage
• Review presence
• PR visibility

Search Analysis

Interest measurement:

• Google Trends comparison
• Relative search interest
• Keyword volume
• Discovery patterns

Competitive Set Definition

Direct Competitors

Similar artists:

• Same genre
• Similar audience
• Comparable career stage
• Direct competition

Aspirational Competitors

Growth targets:

• Where you want to be
• Larger successful artists
• Market leaders
• Benchmark artists

Market Definition

Scope boundaries:

• Geographic market
• Genre market
• Platform-specific
• Audience segment

SOV Analysis Framework

Current Position

Where you stand:

• Current share calculation
• Ranking vs. competitors
• Gap analysis
• Position assessment

Trend Analysis

Direction movement:

• SOV over time
• Growing or declining
• Competitive movements
• Trajectory assessment

Gap Analysis

Opportunity identification:

• Distance from targets
• Under-indexed areas
• Over-indexed strengths
• Prioritization

SOV and Business Outcomes

SOV-Market Share Relationship

Correlation insight:

• Higher SOV often leads to higher market share
• Investment in SOV drives growth
• Under-spending limits growth
• Over-spending may be inefficient

Extra Share of Voice (ESOV)

Growth investment:

• SOV higher than market share = growth investment
• SOV equal to market share = maintenance
• SOV lower than market share = risk of decline
• Strategic implications

Category Dynamics

Market considerations:

• Established vs. emerging artists
• Category growth rate
• Competitive intensity
• Investment requirements

Improving Share of Voice

Advertising Investment

Paid SOV growth:

• Increase ad spend
• Optimize efficiency
• Expand reach
• Maintain presence

Earned Media

Organic SOV growth:

• PR and media relations
• Social engagement
• Community building
• Content strategy

Share of Conversation

Discussion participation:

• Trending topics
• Community presence
• Fan engagement
• Cultural relevance

SOV by Platform

Streaming Platforms

Listening share:

• Playlist presence
• Algorithm visibility
• Search presence
• Platform promotion

Social Platforms

Social share:

• Follower comparison
• Engagement comparison
• Content visibility
• Platform-specific metrics

Video Platforms

Video share:

• View comparison
• Channel metrics
• Trending presence
• Platform visibility

Reporting Share of Voice

Regular Tracking

Ongoing measurement:

• Monthly SOV tracking
• Trend monitoring
• Competitive updates
• Progress assessment

Dashboard Visualization

Visual display:

• SOV charts
• Competitive comparison
• Trend lines
• Alert indicators

Stakeholder Communication

Reporting insights:

• Position summary
• Competitive context
• Strategy implications
• Action recommendations

Limitations and Considerations

Measurement Challenges

Data difficulties:

• Incomplete competitive data
• Platform limitations
• Estimation required
• Proxy reliance

Market Definition Subjectivity

Scope challenges:

• Competitor selection affects results
• Market boundaries unclear
• Changing competitive set
• Definition consistency

Quality vs. Quantity

Nuance consideration:

• Share of voice vs. share of quality
• Not all visibility equal
• Engagement quality matters
• Context importance

Display advertising through services like LG Media at lg.media contributes to advertising share of voice, with music website placements starting at $2.50 CPM providing visibility within music-interested audience markets.

Share of voice measurement helps musicians understand their competitive position in the market. By tracking visibility relative to competitors across paid and organic channels, musicians can assess whether their promotional investment is capturing appropriate attention and driving toward growth goals.