The State of the Music

Industry
We consume music with greater frequency and leisure than ever. But how
much do you truly know about the state of the modern music scene?

The Good

Visibility

In the digital age, playing at smelly pubs isn't the only

way to get noticed anymore. Neither is signing your
rights away to a bad label. Bands have more and
more ways of getting attention than ever, for better
or for worse. Musicians Institute notes that musicians
of the past needed to hand out physical copies and
bargain for a chance to record. Now, social media
presence has become the new qualifier.

Style and Sound

Before the internet, a band's sound was typically

based on where they hailed from. With the extent to
which the internet connects us today, bands can
more readily discover strong influence outside of
their local scene. Buffalo bands can pick up
southern twangs and artists in the San Francisco
scene can even pick up Kansas City Jazz.

The Bad

Revenue Issues

With streaming services becoming the standard way to

listen to music, fewer people are buying physical
releases. Forbes reported in 2018 that physical CD
sales in the UK were roughly 100 million less than they
were in 2008, just 10 years prior. The main sources of
income for many bands are now ticket and
merchandise sales. Unfortunately, many venues force
bands to give up cuts of their merchandise sales, killing
any chances of breaking even on tour—much less
making a profit.

Venue Troubles

With the rise of COVID-19 and streaming services,

many venues have been forced to close. With the
number of places to play dwindling, seeing small
bands perform live is becoming harder and pricier
than ever before. Ticket retailers are also plagued
by scalpers who quickly purchase tickets as soon as
they're available, forcing regular fans to pay more.

Sources: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marksparrow/2019/01/03/sales-of-physical-music-media-slump-as-consumers-move-to-streaming-
services/?sh=a7968ca22554
https://www.mi.edu/in-the-know/social-medias-critical-role-music-industry/