Music Predictions for 2022

Happy New Year, readers! As the world moves forward, there is much excitement for what the future will bring. However, as omicron continues to affect many individuals around the world, music will continue to be a vital medicine to relieve our stress of COVID-19. As the new year begins, predictions continue to be discussed in many artistic outlets. What is the future of the Music Industry? How will music continue to bring people together? Here are five predictions for music in 2022

1. TikTok 

 As TikTok continued to create substantial licensing deals in collaboration with varying record companies, the third-largest social media network in the world, Tik Tok has become a crucial entity of revenue for not only the mainstream music industry but also for independent labels and artists. Mainstream artists such as “Olivia Rodrigo” and “Doja Cat” have reaped the benefits of TikTok for their successful music careers. However, with the growing success of the social media platform, online success can come at any time, any place, and anywhere! Alternative Rock group “Mother Mother” reached the sixth most popular Tik Tok track in 2021, even after its original debut in 2008. According to GlobalNews.com, 430 Tik Tok songs created more than a billion views in 2021 while over 175 songs charted on the Billboard Hot 100. This notion can predict a huge jump in Tik Tok music for 2022! 

2. The Revival of the CD 

 Growing up in the early 2000s, owning compact discs was not a foreign concept for anyone! However, the popularity of CDs cannot be compared to the global purchasing popularity of vinyls. Based on vinyl productivity, worldwide production issues, and material shortages, vinyl prices have grown at an alarming rate. Due to this notion, and as the popularity continues to grow, could there be a growth in CD sales? GlobalNews.com explains that compact discs first came to the world in 1982. As vintage sounds and retro style continue to grow in popularity in young generations, CDs can make a huge comeback! 

3. The Growth of Concerts 

Within the past year, the idea of concerts and live music festivals became a rollercoaster of a ride! As concerts became canceled and postponed, the fate of live entertainment seemed troublesome. However, as booster shots, and other forms of combatting the COVID 19 virus, there is much hope and urgency to attend/create live content in 2022! Iconic artists such as “AC/DC”, “Paul McCartney”, “Bon Jovi”, and “Red Hot Chili Peppers” and some of the acts expected to hit the upcoming live stages around the world this upcoming year. 

4. Augmented and Virtual Reality

The idea of amplifying the music experience through virtual and augmented reality has been a long-standing discussion for years. However, with the growth of online gaming, platforms such as “Fortnite” will continue to provide more music acts a chance to perform on the virtual stage. With the expansion of content and technological advances in social media and handheld technology, 2022 will be the year of technological experimentation. 

5. Music Streaming

According to GlobalNews.com, Canadians are streaming more than two billion songs a week now with on-demand audio streams by nearly 13 percent over 2020. As the music streaming world continues to expand, older generations are also becoming more acquainted with the operations of Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora. Research has shown that 66 percent of all streams are of songs that are more than 18 months old. Vintage and older music will be the leading music streaming material of 2022. With the drama of streaming totality payments for independent artists, platforms such as SoundCloud and Tidal are focusing on becoming a more artistic-focus platform. This notion can present a huge shift to a more updated fair morn of artist remuneration. In terms of the world of podcasting, Spotify will become the worldwide leader for podcast distribution. Although Apple practically invented the podcast world, Spotify has managed to catch up with this audio forum, moving rapidly to first place. The streaming platform continued to devote its energy to the podcast world with the creation of “PodCity “in downtown Los Angeles. PodCity features 18 podcast studios and a popular performance stage.  

These predictions are all in the form of hope as the music industry continues to innovate, inspire and grow as the year’s progress. Social media platforms will continue to embrace various musical acts and music performances. In terms of music listening, older vintage content could continue to be a popular source of music streaming content, along with the continuous growth of vinyl and possible CD sales. Concerts and live entertainment will make a strong comeback in 2022 is apparent along with heavily implementing augmented and virtual reality performances. Additional predictions claim the continuous growth of podcasting in their correlation with Spotify! As the new year blossoms, music will always keep bringing people together!

Picture: Shutterstock / ID: 1934104178

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