Growth of Pluggnb Genre
Splice – valued at nearly US$500 million in 2021 after raising $55 million in funding – has named pluggnb the fastest growing music genre on its platform for 2024.
The music creation platform also announced an impressive speed of “almost 350 million» downloads of its sound samples across various genres last year.
The company did not clarify whether this figure represents an increase or decrease compared to the previous year, 2023. Back in 2020, during pandemic lockdowns that promoted indoor activities like music production, Splice reported 1.1 million daily downloads, indicating an annual total exceeding 400 million at that time.
Trends in Music Genres
In a recent report co-authored with market research firm MIDIA and released on Wednesday (Jan. 22), Splice confirmed that plugin – a fusion of the pluggnb trap subgenre and 1990s R&B – emerged as the fastest-growing genre on its platform in 2024, based on downloads of pluggnb sample packs. Splice monitors “hundreds” of music genres on its platform.
Sample downloads of pluggnb packages surged 342.8% y/y in 2024, reaching 699,987 downloads, positioning the genre in second place. Following closely is K-pop with a 328.2% y/y increase (totaling 832,058 downloads). The hybrid genre of house and hip-hop, Jersey Club, saw a rise of 281.3% y/y to 1,298,679 downloads, partly due to its rising popularity among music creators in Berlin, according to Splice.
“Unofficial pluggnb remixes dominated TikTok in 2024, contributing to the genre’s embrace by K-pop giants like LE SSERRAFIM and ILLIT“, the report states.
Additionally, some genres experienced a drop in popularity this year. Notably, neo soul faced the steepest decline in download figures, decreasing by 46.8% y/y, followed by future soul (down 37.8% y/y) and dance hall (down 35% y/y).
Despite the rapid growth of pluggnb, K-pop, and Jersey Club, these genres are not yet the most popular; none made it to Splice’s top 10 downloaded genres list.
The approximately 700,000 downloads of pluggnb sample packs are just a fraction of the over 48 million hip hop sample pack downloads. The report expresses some skepticism regarding whether pluggnb will become the next big trend in music.
“Pluggnb’s rapid rise raises concerns about its long-term sustainability. It has thrived on trends in the fast-paced internet culture where many trends are fleeting,” the report observes.
“Nonetheless, pluggnb has established a solid foundation, influencing one of the biggest K-pop hits of 2024, ILLIT’s Magnetic. The upcoming year will serve as a crucial period for growth.”
“Splice possesses unique insights into the sounds driving global music production.”
Kakul Srivastava, Splice
Splice’s list of top genres remains dominated by more established musical styles, including hip hop and trap, which hold the first and second spots in popularity, respectively. Hip-hop sample packs totaled 48.7 million downloads, increasing by 1.8% y/y, while trap saw 35.0 million downloads, up by 3.1% y/y.
Interestingly, pop music, which thrived in 2024, experienced a decline on the Splice platform, dropping from the third most popular genre in 2023 to fifth in 2024.
“This doesn’t indicate the end of pop music; rather, it is transforming, with new regional styles gaining prominence,” the report clarifies. “For instance, East Asian variations like K-pop and Japanese urban pop are on a rapid ascent.”
In its 2024 results report, Market Monitor Luminate identified pop music as the fastest-growing major genre in the United States, followed by rock, Latin, country, and Christian/gospel genres.
Luminate attributes pop music’s vigor to artists like Taylor Swift and other notable female musicians such as Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, Ariana Grande, Olivia Rodrigo, and Chappell Roan.
According to Splice, its download analytics can predict future music trends, particularly since the platform is “over-indexed” among creators aged 16 to 24, making it easier to identify youth culture trends compared to other platforms.
“The sounds that producers use today provide insights into the genres likely to gain popularity tomorrow, as well as potential new genres emerging from the blending of various styles and cultures.”
Mark Mulligan, MIDiA
“Splice possesses a unique perspective on the sounds driving global music production. This report offers insight into how music producers are adapting and blending genres in real-time and which genres and regions will influence what we hear in 2025 and beyond,” remarked Splice CEO Kakul Srivastava.
Mark Mulligan, managing director and music analyst at MIDiA, noted that there is “probably no more forward-thinking cultural trend” than the manipulation of samples.
“The sounds producers utilize today indicate not only which genres will thrive tomorrow, but also the initial signs of entirely new genres that will arise from mixing samples from diverse styles and cultures,” he stated. “The genres highlighted in this report also underscore significant trends: the increasing relevance of localized scenes and fan remixes in shaping future sounds.”
Splice, which hit nearly 350m downloads in 2024, reveals the fastest-growing genres on its platform
