The music industry is one of those that were hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Both income streams, live and recorded music got affected in different ways. Research shows that a 6-month shutdown could cost the over $50 billion industry $10 bn or more in sponsorships.
That is without mentioning how devastating a more prolonged shutdown could be. Thankfully, the industry has fought back over the past few months of 2021. This is by coming up with new innovative ways of monetizing music consumption. However, there is still more to expect from this industry in the future.
This article will explore music trends to expect post covid. Let’s get started.
Changes in Songwriting
There are massive differences in songwriting before and during the pandemic. Before coronavirus, as many as 20 songwriters could work on a single project. However, this doesn’t mean that they all took part in the writing. During the writing of a song, everyone in the room got credited to avoid plagiarism lawsuits in the future. For artists and creators looking to adapt to these evolving dynamics, understanding How to Sustain Music Relevance can help them navigate the shifting landscape and maintain their impact in a competitive industry.
However, fewer people collaborated on songs during the pandemic. Movement restrictions brought about more solo projects as in-person meetings became almost impossible. For now, there isn’t much change as songwriter credits remain leaner in recent releases. Time will tell if this will change anytime in the future.
Concert Live Streams
Concerts have been critical to the growth of musicians as they offer free music promotion. Things took a different turn during the pandemic. Live performances in shows became unheard of worldwide. But then, this opens other doors as concert live streams gained traction during these times.
Artistes today leverage technology to entertain fans and for free online music promotion. Many artists keep pushing, although organizing high-quality concert live streams is costly. Except for super high-end artists, others keep struggling to attract an online viewership that guarantees a good ROI.
Many artists struggle to host live streams, but thankfully, they can rely on free music promotion sites. This is because, unlike many online platforms, these sites have budding artists in mind. Websites like hudlmusic.com and many others offer such artists free music promotion. This acts as a chance to build their careers.
As an artist, your strategy should combine live concert streams and free music promotion websites. This will give your music brand a good foundation for growth. Besides, it will help you build an audience in readiness for the expected total return of live performances in concerts and raves.
Music Venues
The Save our Stages movement meant to keep small venues alive during the pandemic was a great idea by artists. But then, many music venues, large and small, continue to close down every day. This is because of lack of business, surging insurance costs, and the leases they continue to lose.
The return of concerts and live performances isn’t far. Recently, New York City hosted a homecoming concert to celebrate the city’s comeback from the pandemic. The excitement in the concert showed how music lovers are eager for the return of such events.
Musicians too were excited as broadcasted concerts like this offer them a free promotion for music. But then, concerts may not return fully until 2022. That means more venues could suffer and close down. It will also be difficult for most of them to reopen. New venues could pop up once live concerts return.
TikTok
Tiktok became the most significant source of entertainment in 2020. Many people discovered new hit songs through the platform over the pandemic. Although TikTok remains excellent for bite-sized video sharing and free music marketing, future predictions show its popularity could decline post-covid.
This is mainly because other platforms have introduced short video content features. For instance, a considerable number of people are starting to shift to platforms like Triller. Besides, most TikTok users belong to the 13-24 age bracket. Being millennials, they are likely to grow out of it and want to try new platforms.
The Grammys
The Grammy’s was once a significant music event with a massive global following. However, boycotts by female musicians and rap artists in the recent past have made it decline in popularity. The recording academy’s biggest partner, CBS, will halt the show after its current contract due to declining ratings.
This exit will be a big blow to the Grammys as it will mean substantial financial losses. The academy will have to go back to its roots and reorganize to survive. This will be a win for everyone, including artists. Thus, we may not see the once-massive show in the future. This is until it reorganizes then makes a comeback.
Guitar Center and Music Stores
Guitar center has been a prominent seller of music gear for many years. The pandemic, however, threatened its survival as fewer people walked into stores to buy items. Online buying has been the best option for many people during Covid as gear gets delivered to one’s door within 24 hours of making an order.
The store had to find ways to survive this tough competition and beat bankruptcy. It laid off some of its staff, held a smaller inventory, and improved most of its services. But then, the soaring demand for online shopping is still something Guitar Center has to worry about.
It will need more innovations and changes of strategy to survive in the future. Many people may not return to traditional ways of shopping, even post-covid. Thus, this store will have to adapt to this trend and fight for its space in the music industry.
Conclusion
Those are examples of the trends that could shape the future of the music industry. A good number of these trends affect how musicians promote their music. Most of them are budding artists who depend on free music marketing on free music apps and websites to launch their careers.
There are no live performances today, and live streams are relatively expensive. But then, this article has provided other viable options. For example, you can consider free music promotion websites and other free music platforms for artists if you are looking for ways of advertising your music today.
