Holly WinnAs the New Year rushes in, so do many predictions about what will happen to the ever-changing world of the music industry in 2015. Besides the excitement that comes with new venues, shows, and tour dates, many artists and musicians need to be aware of the many changes to come. With new talent rising, new musical-services, and the booming cash flow that is breaking records (no-pun intended), it is clear that 2015 will be a year of great changes for the music industry that musicians everywhere need to listen and pay attention to since their careers will be affected by these artists, publishers, or streaming changes to come in the near future of this year.
The Rise of the Brits:
Perhaps it’s the new, new wave—whatever the case may be, Ed Sheeran has surely been able to land his spot as the most sold album of 2014 in not only England but in 12 countries total worldwide. With the United States ringing in Christmas with Sheeran’s album x as the most downloaded, the whole country shows a great appreciation to the musical talents of the young, British man as everyone hums along to his hit album. He has already reached over 470,000 copies of his album being downloaded online alone. At this rate, this British-pop star is sure to be reveling in the New Year with his most acclaimed album yet.
Another British singer/songwriter who had a great 2014, netting over $75 million due to her acclaimed success as a singer here in the states, is Adele. The 26-year-old pop star is expected to release her next album in 2015. It is expected to be a hit—not only because of the high expectations for her as an artist, but simply due to the fact that her album 21 has grossed over $11 million to date in the United States, and it is the first album to sell three million copies. Hopefully Adele’s next album will be about her current lifestyle and have a hit single titled, “Rolling in the Dough.”
The third British singer to pay attention to for next year is Ellie Goulding. She is set to release her third album in 2015, and it is certain to be a smash hit here in the U.S. as well as with her fan base in England. Yep, it’s clear that the “Goodness Gracious” singer has been in some gracious goodness these past few years, and 2015 is definitely going to be an even better year for her. You can be certain that these three singers will not only be at the top of the chart for their home country, England, but they will surely be skyrocketing here in the United States. 2015 is surely going to be a great year for the British invasion.
Streaming Music Brings in Even More Users:
Yes, it is clear that the digital wave has brought in nothing but revenue for the music industry since YouTube first started having music videos posted to be viewed by millions everywhere. Now, music streaming is set for a fantastic year ahead. With the growing demand for artists to be heard, streaming music is the best way for artists to get into the ears’—and heads’—of their future fans.
Timothy Seppala, a writer for engadget, writes that streaming music alone has jolted up 54 percent. Last year alone over 164 billion songs were streamed. This means that streaming will only become more prominent as users utilize a service some artists, like Taylor Swift, have had some controversy over the exclusive profit and free access to their new music. No matter who has a problem with the ease of hearing exclusive new hits from wherever at a very small price to the consumer, streaming music is here to stay and only seems to be growing.
Publishers Becoming the New Labels:
Kobalt is revamping what the relationship between producer, musician, music label, and manager is going to look like in the near future. Ties from old music labels will most likely be broken as artists realize that they can stretch their wings—or guitar strings—a little further and find the right deal that best suits their specific needs.
The site itself is an intermediary between artists, producers, and managers, providing a seamless and completely transparent middle man that instills copyright laws and even helps handle royalty checking. This new music platform online will become the next big music tool for talent and musically-related business people to utilize during the New Year. Kobalt has surely got the relationship between artists and their business associates singing to a completely different tone now.
Apple’s ITunes Radio Will Become More Popular:
ITunes Radio has been out now since 2013, however, most have yet to utilize this service on their IPhone, IPad, and/or Macbook. Apple hopes to push their radio system even further by possibly making it into its own App that can be downloaded on the App Store. This way, Apple will be forced to compete with the likes of Spotify, Pandora, and iHeartRadio as its own station. This bold move is certain to bring in many new users who want to finally see what Apple has to offer in terms of radio service. This radio service definitely has to prove itself against its competitors, but nevertheless, Apple’s ITunes Radio will surely be a success in the coming year.
Music Concerts Will Continue to Bring in the Big Bucks:
In 2014 alone, there was over $15 billion made from the United States music industry and over $47 billion worldwide. Clearly concerts are on the rise. In 2013, concerts reached a high of over $4 billion in concert revenue in the United States. That’s right, over $11 Billion more was made in the United States from 2013 to 2014 from concert revenue alone. Surely with big artists like Jay Z with Beyonce, One Direction, Justin Timberlake, and Lady Gaga to name just a few of the top names that will be on tour this year, the concert revenue for 2015 is definitely going to be another big year for the music industry.
Now, musicians, music snobs, and music lovers be sure to check out what is next for these music artists as well as some up-and-coming new, music artists. It’ll be an interesting battle for top artist of 2015 to say the least. As for you musicians out there, be sure to stay on top of your musical game by learning about these major publishing changes as well as which artists are on the rise. You don’t want to be left out of the loop when someone within your genre takes your place on the chart. I just hope that you’ll be singing along to your favorite tunes as the New Year brings about some major changes that will definitely open some eyes as well as some ears.
