Music Industry Analysis
Music Biz curates a feed of music industry news articles, business statistics and trend analysis from a variety of media outlets, filtering out the noise to deliver you the actionable insights you need to succeed. Starting in 2024, these articles will be accessible exclusively from Music Biz’s social media feeds.
July 2, 2020 – Canceled US Music Festivals Threaten to Slow Momentum for Rising Latin Acts
Just as relatively new indie festivals devoted to Latin music — like Los Dells in Wisconsin, Ruido Fest in Chicago and Viva! Pomona in the Los Angeles area — were building audiences and growing their brands, their momentum has come to a halt in the pandemic. Since the coronavirus forced the live music industry into a standstill in March — and as COVID-19 now spikes across the country with more than 2.5 million confirmed cases in the United States —... Read More
July 1, 2020 – Music Biz College Graduates Keep Their Heads up, Despite Grim Job Market
Genna Batson, who graduated last month from Syracuse University’s Bandier Program with a music business degree, was about as poised for a career in the concert industry as a senior without a nepotistic benefactor could be. She’d focused on the touring business early in her college days, serving as talent buyer and co-director of the school’s concert board, and held internships at industry titans Live Nation, Red Light Management and Superfly, where last summer she interned as a sponsorship coordinator for the Outside Lands festival in San Francisco.... Read More
June 30, 2020 – Retail Looks to Rebound in July Amid Q3 Shopper Optimism
After a 16.4% sales decline in U.S. retail in April, retailers are looking for signs of optimism as the late summer season opens up new opportunities and renewed interest in shopping. While most states are in the full swing of reopening, there’s still plenty of hangover from Q2, and retailers are under increased pressure to gain back lost revenue as quickly as possible. But it’s not all gloom and doom for the retail industry. Shoppers are poised to make a comeback,... Read More
June 29, 2020 – Nashville’s Music Row Reflects National Concern For Social Justice, Racial Parity
Black lives matter. As Americans rallied on June 19 from Boston to Oakland, Calif., the date symbolized a dramatic change of awareness. Many white adults had not previously heard of Juneteenth, which marks the anniversary of the last slaves discovering they had been freed, yet scores of Caucasians participated in the demonstrations, awakened to racial inequality by a recent series of murders of Black citizens, primarily the May 25 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis while in police custody.... Read More
June 25, 2020 – Record Stores Were Already Struggling Before the Pandemic — Here’s How They’re Staying Afloat Now
Some independent record stores across the US have been barely hanging on in recent years, thanks to a rise in online streaming and the dominance of mega-retailers such as Amazon. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit, making matters even worse. Brick-and-mortar stores shut their doors more than two months ago and, in many parts of the country, are still closed. Those that have reopened have had to make extensive and costly modifications to how they do business,... Read More
June 24, 2020 – How Is The Podcasting Business Under Coronavirus Quarantine? Listen Up
As a longtime podcast listener with zero commuting (read: listening-only) time for the last three months, I got to wondering how well the industry’s content producers, networks and ad execs have been coping with the coronavirus quarantine. According to a swath of key industry players I spoke with, it looks like podcasting took a body blow like many others but has retained its long-built momentum. What are the factors underlying that resilience and will it continue?... Read More
June 23, 2020 – How Independent Music Venues Are Fighting for Their Existence
Earl Ciccel, whose company runs Maryland’s Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, was prepped for a weekend of sold-out dinner concerts by veteran soul and go-go groups when he was forced to shut down indefinitely on March 12. Most of the food he bought for those shows—short ribs, lamb, wings, salmon, crab cakes—was thrown out. It was only the beginning of the misfortunes Ciccel’s business would suffer under the coronavirus pandemic: The historic, Black-operated venue has now been shuttered for more than three months,... Read More
June 22, 2020 – Independent Country Musicians Are Reaping The Benefits Of Live-Streaming In Quarantine
Independent country musician Emma White sits on her living-room couch. She plays a Gibson J-45 Sunburst, a classic instrument for country songwriters like her. She plays closing chords, and hugs it to her chest so she can look at her phone. “Maybe reading your comments will be easier on my phone — oh, good! You guys can hear me!” She says. She says hello back to various viewers commenting on her post. “Stuart from Australia! My goodness.... Read More
June 18, 2020 – Managing Brand Saliency and Perceived Value Amidst Covid-19
The rules of perceived value are changing amidst COVID-19. The pandemic has brought to light new drivers of perceived value, threats to named brands, and ways to protect and grow your brand through this crisis and beyond. Some brands survived and thrived after the 2008 recession by reinforcing their value proposition, delivering unique benefits, and fostering an intimate relationship with their customers. Click here to read more from Ipsos.... Read More
June 17, 2020 – Live Music Is Merging With Video Games – And Giving Us A Glimpse Of The Future
Scott’s “Astronomical” event was huge, even by the standards of the biggest game on Earth. Viewed live by more than 12 million people – enough to fill Wembley stadium some 133 times over – the visually spectacular ten-minute concert debuted Scott’s new track “The Scotts”, featuring Kid Cudi, and showcased several songs from Scott’s previous albums, all mixed into a special performance within a persistent online game. Players of all ages, colors and creeds packed onto servers to see one of the world’s most famous rappers unveil new tracks in a set that wouldn’t look out of place at the Super Bowl or the Grammys.... Read More
