2020 has ended, and it has been a challenging year for everyone. Countless industries suffered from the lockdown all over the world, and the music industry has faced the same fate. Artists, producers, and record companies lost millions with cancellations of shows and major festivals. That is why the industry had to come up with innovative ways of communicating with the public.
The lockdown and isolation did not stop artists from putting out new albums and materials. More than 25 pop albums were released in 2020 as well as record-breaking streams with names like Bad Bunny, The Weeknd, Post Malone, Harry Styles and Dua Lipa making up the top 5 most streamed albums of the year. Over 5 billion streams when counted all together, only on Spotify.
Aside from albums, artists have utilized many innovative ways of communicating with their audience through social media, live shows recorded for streaming companies like Netflix and Disney+, and music documentaries have all provided fans with something to hold on to while waiting for when concerts come back.
While the live shows are still on hold, a new communication system has been getting traction in 2020: livestreaming. This could be the future of the entertainment industry, as artists have released more just music through such platforms. Taylor Swift released “Miss Americana” on January 1st on Netflix. Although this documentary wasn’t a product of lockdown, Taylor released her intimate acoustic session of her 8th studio album “Folklore” on November 25th. “Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions” was released on Disney + and filmed during lockdown.
Bruce Springsteen also released his new documentary, “Letter to You”, to promote his last album of the same name. It was released on October 22nd by Apple TV.
Other artists that found innovative ways of communicating with their audience ad include Shawn Mendes, Blackpink and Ariana Grande, who have all released documentaries on Netflix.
The documentary “In Wonder” by Shawn Mendes was released on November 23rd. The K-Pop group Blackpink released their film “Light Up the Sky” on October 14, which the first K-Pop documentary to be featured on the platform. To close out the year, Ariana Grande will release “Excuse me, I love you,” a concert special of the “Sweetener World Tour” filmed back in 2019.
There is no doubt 2020 has been a difficult year for everyone. However, current technology has made it possible for the music industry to create more content at a faster rate than ever before and invest in innovative ways of communicating.
Canyon Entertainment Group has also found innovative ways of communicating with the production of online events since the beginning of the year. The Star Pow-R ‘Buy Local’ Concert Series has promoted concerts with a much diversified line-up, all to help local businesses through these difficult times. For more information about online events, contact Canyon Entertainment Group.