Daily News & Analysis Feeds - 2020
Here you’ll find the latest announcements on Association events and partnerships, the latest from within our member community, and expert reporting from around the global music business. If you’d like to receive updates like these sent directly to your inbox, sign up for our daily news feed email today!
June 15, 2020 – US Retail Sales to Drop More than 10% in 2020
The US retail sector could take years to recover from the impact of the coronavirus, and the hit could be worse than that of the Great Recession. According to eMarketer’s latest forecast on US retail sales (which includes auto and fuel), total retail sales will drop by 10.5% this year, steeper than the 8.2% drop… Read More
June 15, 2020 – Understanding Consumer Sentiment Can Help Companies Adjust As The U.S. Begins To Re-Open
Even though the year is almost half over, it’s just now starting to feel like a new year in parts of the U.S., as many states have allowed certain non-essential businesses like restaurants, movie theaters and retail stores to re-open in at least some capacity. We know, however, that many Americans plan to play it safe as… Read More
June 15, 2020 – Chartmetric Report on COVID-19’s Effect on the Global Music Business, Part 3: Live Streaming Artists
With most areas of the world instituting some form of enforced or encouraged quarantine, the coronavirus pandemic has inadvertently thrust live streaming into the music industry spotlight. But now that Hip-Hop titans, Pop stars, and metalheads are embracing live streaming full-force, a brief nod to live streaming’s history might help us better understand how to make… Read More
June 15, 2020 – How Tech Can Save The Music: Abandoning Conventional Thinking During A Crisis
Innovations like the basketball, the Slinky, radar technology, penicillin, fluorescent lightbulbs, Diet Coke, Microsoft Office, the iPad and Airbnb provide a small snapshot of inventions born out of periods of economic or societal strife. This shows that despite the massive upheaval and horrific costs of the COVID-19 pandemic, new opportunities can emerge. By tapping into… Read More
June 11, 2020 – America’s Independent Music Venues Could Close Soon Due To Coronavirus
Across the country, music venues remain closed due to the pandemic — and according to a new survey, 90 percent of independent venue owners, promoters and bookers say that they will have to close permanently within the next few months, if they can’t get an infusion of targeted government funding. The survey of nearly 2,000… Read More
June 11, 2020 – Time Spent With Subscription OTT Services Increases Amid Pandemic
The average time spent with subscription OTT video content in the US will surpass 62 minutes per day this year, up 23.0% from 2019, according to Business Insider’s latest estimates. That’s an acceleration from 2019, when it grew by 15.0% year over year. Trends are driving the spike in time spent with subscription OTT: New streaming platforms have… Read More
July 7, 2020 – [Keeping Tempo With Music Biz] — Staying Safe, Sane and Productive: A Conversation with Symphonic Distribution’s Jorge Brea
Established as a forward-thinking distribution company, Symphonic has in many ways helped give a sneak peak into a future music industry guided by an “artist-first” strategy that bolsters everything from personal brand to release schedules. This tendency to look and plan ahead for the challenges of tomorrow has helped the company respond to the challenges… Read More
June 10, 2020 – As the Pandemic Continues, Music Videos Shot in Isolation Reflect the Times
As the COVID-19 shutdown stretches into its third month and traditional, in-person music video productions remain on hold, artists, directors and video producers have been coming up with creative ways to collaborate on new visuals with directors and bandmates while hunkering down in their homes. The result has been a flurry of homemade, often unvarnished… Read More
June 9, 2020 – Coronavirus Tracing Apps Are Being Tested Around the World, But Will Concerts Get Onboard?
Will contact-tracing smartphone apps become the new dress code that gets you past the velvet rope in the coronavirus clubbing era? In China, some cities have used government-mandated health-tracking apps on smartphones to restore nightlife. Venues like the 500-person Arkham club in Shanghai started scanning a three-color QR code app at entrance doors in mid-March in order… Read More
June 8, 2020 – Music Streaming Shows Strong Comeback in New Nielsen Music/MRC Data COVID-19 Report
The lyrics to Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’” come to mind when reading through MRC Data’s fourth COVID-19 survey results. During the ongoing coronavirus crisis, an artist needs to start swimming or sink like a stone, as Dylan sang. A virtual concert might be a poor substitute for a live show, but fans are… Read More
