#001: Pandemic To Push Forward the Future Pioneers of the Music Industry
“History Makes Music and Music Makes History”
The entertainment industry has traditionally been fairly recession-proof throughout history. We like escapism when times are tough — whether that comes in the form of a movie, Netflix show or song. During the Great Depression, the film industry in Hollywood took a very quick hit, but then bounced back into a Golden Age. Or think of any struggling college student living on nothing and eating Ramen noodles… they still can afford to go to gigs and afford their $9.99/mo Spotify or Apple Music subscription. And this remains true right now. Streaming isn’t having the massive boom that some expected, but the total streaming consumption is slightly up (especially with “chill” music and children’s music — due to quelling people’s fears and children being out of school). Physical sales are up as well for vinyl. And live streaming for musical performances is booming like never before — including introducing the music community to new platforms, such as House Party, Twitch and Triller.
So what is the problem and what is different now? The answer is clear. A pandemic shuts down the entire live music business. Yes, this applies to the largest touring artists, promoters and talent agencies. But what about the tour managers? Roadies and stage hands? Audio, lighting and staging companies? Rental gear companies? Small to mid-sized venue owners and their employees? The emerging artist making their entire living on the road? Or the artists surviving on paid gigs at the casino, country club, wedding or local restaurant? These are all jobs that have never been as affected as today. These were some of the first jobs to lose their incomes and likely will be some of the last ones to get back to ‘normal’.
The one constant across the board is that the entire creative community has more free time on their hands than at any time in the last 70+ years. And I predict a boom of innovation in the years ahead like we have never seen.
Dark times inspire the greatest art. And flaws have been exposed in the ability to monetize live music — if not able to be there in-person. Some start-ups like Topeka have already emerged, allowing fans to pay for ‘hangouts’ with their favorite artists to have a conversation or receive a range of personalized live music experiences (IG Live meets Cameo). But this is just scratching the surface. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg created their companies locked in garages or dorm rooms. This same concept has become too literal during these times, but when all of the elite music producers, songwriters, recording artists, music business minds and tech/innovators are forced into this state, I refuse to believe that they all are just ‘weathering the storm’. To do any of these jobs full-time, you are inherently an entrepreneur. And entrepreneurs must have a drive for innovation and an unrelenting work ethic to succeed.
With everyone now in their garages and offices creating the building blocks for the future of the music industry, it will still take years for some of these innovations to come to light. I challenge my fellow friends and peers in entertainment to not only stay busy during this time. Not to keep the status quo and hope for a ‘return to normal’ as soon as possible. Use this moment as the driver to create and fuel the music industry of the future that we all want to see.
