10 music business predictions for 2022
The music business is changing faster than ever, and those hoping to climb the ladder of success must be willing to adapt. Our friends at Haulix have some smart thoughts about what that means in 2022.
A guest post by James Shotwell of Haulix.
Congratulations! If you’re reading this, then you’re a survivor. You have made it nearly two full years into a global pandemic that has claimed more than 1 million lives. You have also survived an extended pause on live music, multiple pipeline delays, and an increasingly complicated path to discovery that no algorithm seems capable of fixing. It has never been harder to thrive in the music industry, and yet, here you are, doing your best to stay above water. That’s worthy of at least a high five in our book, so please, take a moment to appreciate all you’ve overcome.
2022 is here, and nobody knows what to expect. The pandemic continues to disrupt the global supply chain and infect millions, but countless individuals are living life as if nothing is wrong. Some are so exhausted from fear and anxiety that they are completely burnt out on society. If that’s you, we hope the last few weeks have provided some opportunity to rest and reset. For everyone else, let’s look ahead with wide eyes and full hearts. Everything is up to chance and fate. Nothing is determined.
As with every year in recent history, the Music Biz team has spent several months building a list of music industry predictions for the new year. These ideas are based on data and news, and intuition. We don’t claim to know everything, but we feel confident in these ideas.
Our ten predictions:
- Hybrid events are the new normal (Livestream/Live, AR/VR, etc)
- Independent artists boom, thanks in part to web3, and record labels have to change in response.
- Streaming growth continues, vinyl plateaus due to pipeline issues.
- Everyone will be invited to the metaverse, and our general understanding of its capabilities will expand.
- Concert industry rebounds due to pandemic fatigue.
- AI writes or co-writes a hit.
- Twitter forced to negotiate with music biz.
- Fans, not blogs or influencers, will be responsible for breaking new artists to the masses.
- With Apple’s plans to introduce such capabilities on the horizon, we expect Animated Artwork to be a popular trend throughout the year.
- Experiences as merchandise will be part of the ‘new normal.
James Shotwell is the Director of Customer Engagement at Haulix and host of the company’s podcast, Inside Music. He is also a public speaker known for promoting careers in the entertainment industry, as well as an entertainment journalist with over a decade of experience. His bylines include Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Substream Magazine, Nu Sound, and Under The Gun Review, among other popular outlets.
