This analysis covers ten years of Hack The Planet. It examines 630 shows and 31,550 tracks played since 2016.
The Label Market Is Wildly Fragmented
In its best year, the most-played label, Hospital Records, accounted for 7.3% of the tracks played on the show in 2020. The show draws from about 500 distinct labels a year and 1,342 in total since 2018.
These are the top five labels across all plays with label data. Labels were only recorded consistently from 2018 onward, so this covers 26,951 plays.
| Rank | Label | Plays | % of plays | Biggest year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hospital Records | 1,345 | 5.0% | 2020 |
| 2 | Fokuz Recordings | 1,131 | 4.2% | 2020 |
| 3 | RAM Records | 812 | 3.0% | 2024 |
| 4 | Shogun Audio | 704 | 2.6% | 2024 |
| 5 | Celsius Recordings | 432 | 1.6% | 2020 |
Together the top five make up about 16% of all plays. The next five are V Recordings, Spearhead, Metalheadz, Soul Deep Exclusives and Critical Music, each at 1.1–1.5%.
Two Supply Chains
Every track starts at four stars when it first airs on the show. Over time its rating can change based on performance, listener feedback and DJ preference. The data reflects this: in every year since 2018, 83–97% of first plays carry a four-star rating.
Promos are tracks sent by the music labels directly. They make up 57% of what arrives and 34% of airtime, averaging 4.29 stars with 29% rated five stars.
Purchases make up 66% of airtime. They average 4.61 stars, with 55% rated five stars.
The Rotation Shifted Toward Older Tracks
In 2020, most of what aired was brand new: current releases made up 74% of plays, and tracks more than a decade old made up 4%. By 2026, current releases made up 31% of plays and tracks over a decade old made up 30%. The typical track aired in 2020 came out that same year; by 2026, the typical track was five years old.
Recent Releases Rate Below Earlier Years’ New Music
Each show’s playlist export records the star rating every track had on the night it aired, which gives a historical snapshot. The music library holds each track’s rating today, after ratings have evolved over the years.
At broadcast: new releases (tracks aired within a year of release) earned five stars on 45–48% of plays in 2018 and 2019, and on 19–29% of plays from 2021 onward. Back catalogue tracks (aired five or more years after release) earned five stars on 46–58% of plays in 2016–2018 and on 79–84% of plays from 2023 onward.
Today: ratings have risen across the board as tracks earned their fifth star over time. The same new-release plays from 2018 and 2019 now rate five stars 53–58% of the time; those from 2021–2025 rate five stars 32–48% of the time. Catalogue plays from 2019 onward now rate five stars 80–86% of the time. Both views put the 2010s as the show’s strongest era.
Buying Peaked In 2020
New track acquisition peaked in 2020 at 1,697 tracks. In 2025 the show acquired 497, a 71% reduction from the peak.
Across all genres of music worldwide, the number of new tracks delivered to streaming services each day rose 13% between 2022 and 2025, from 93,400 to 106,000 (Luminate via Mixmag; Luminate 2025 Year-End Music Report). Drum & bass grew within that. Worldwide, it ranked second among all genres for new releases on Beatport in 2024 and produced five Beatport number-one tracks, while the electronic music industry grew 6% to $12.9 billion (IMS Business Report 2025). In the UK, drum & bass streams on Spotify rose 94% between 2021 and 2024 (Spotify, reported by EDM.com).
Prep List Cuts Shifted
In the early years, tracks over ten years old were the most likely to be cut from prep playlists. Now tracks three to five years old are the most likely to be cut.
The Label Roster Stabilized
Of the 1,342 labels played since 2018, half appear in two years or fewer, and 515 appear in a single year. The rate of brand-new labels went from 42% in 2019 to 13–17% in recent years. A stable group of 91 labels has appeared every year since 2018.
Number of new labels by year:
| Year | Labels played | New labels | New labels as % of year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 386 | — | (first year with label data) |
| 2019 | 393 | 161 | 41% |
| 2020 | 510 | 193 | 38% |
| 2021 | 525 | 144 | 27% |
| 2022 | 473 | 96 | 20% |
| 2023 | 482 | 92 | 19% |
| 2024 | 496 | 66 | 13% |
| 2025 | 479 | 64 | 13% |
| 2026* | 477 | 78 | 16% |
*2026 runs through September.
Ten Years In Summary
Ten years of playlists show Hack The Planet growing from a show built on brand-new releases into one that pairs current tracks with a deep, well-loved catalogue. Purchases carry two-thirds of the airtime and earn the highest ratings, while promos support the labels and artists that send them.
Since 2020 the show has become more selective. It continues to add new tracks and labels at a steady pace, finding them through exploration on Bandcamp and social media. Shows are built around a core of favorites led by Hospital Records back catalog and Fokuz Recordings. Tracks released in the 2010s rate highest of any era, and older tracks now hold a regular place in the rotation alongside each year’s best new releases.
Sources
- Luminate reports music streaming saturation (Hypebot) — 106,000 new tracks of all genres delivered to streaming services daily in 2025; 99,000 in 2024
- Luminate 2024 year-end figures (Music Business Worldwide) — 103,500 new tracks daily in 2023; 202 million tracks on streaming services
- More music released in a single day in 2024 than the entirety of 1989 (Mixmag) — 93,400 new tracks daily in 2022, per Luminate
- IMS Business Report 2025 summary (Insite Croatia) — drum & bass second for new Beatport releases in 2024; electronic music industry $12.9 billion, up 6%
- Spotify reports surge in drum & bass streams (EDM.com) — UK drum & bass streams up 94% since 2021
- How the pandemic changed music (NPR) — touring shutdown and the release cycle