The music industry has undergone significant changes in the 21st century. As we move into 2023, there are likely more changes to come, not just for music listeners but for the music business. The environment for artists is continuously evolving. We take a look at music trends you can look forward to in 2023.
TikTok Will Continue to Impact the Music World
TikTok is the surprise disruptor in the social media space. The platform garnered one billion active users in 2021 and the increase in user base is still growing strong. As a result, Tik Tok is ranked one of the most powerful digital licensable music promotion platforms in 2022 and will continue to grow in 2023.
If you are an aspiring musician, you may want to put your music on Tik Tok with its rising demand as a platform for music discovery.
The Advent of Multi-Lingual Music
The likes of BTS, Blackpink, and Big Bang are making waves internationally outside of South Korea. BTS was also nominated twice at the Grammy Awards. With the era of global music streaming, we are now listening to more multi-lingual tracks and there is no need to make it big with an English song today.
K-pop is dominating streaming services, whereas before non-American artists had to get past “gatekeepers” who control what can be played on the radio. K-pop fans from the U.S. to Europe and Asia can now choose from millions of tracks on streaming services.
Evolving New Genres
As music evolves, we are seeing more and more artists blending genres, and creating new or sub-genres. Producers and musicians are constantly inspired by the overlap of genres without being constrained.
Does it mean that genres are not as relevant anymore? It seems that mood-based listening makes more sense to listeners now than sticking to a specific genre of music. Listeners choose music based on what they are doing as opposed to playing the genre they love.
For instance, someone studying for an exam will probably choose from a playlist of calming music and not electronic music. By carefully considering which playlists to route their music to, artists can get a significant amount of streams.
The Dominance of Indie Music
The music industry, just like everything else, goes in a cyclical pattern. 2023 may see the boom and popularity of indie music. Several up-and-coming indie bands are making a breakthrough in the music scene such as The Reytons, Red Rum Club, and The Royston Club.
Arctic Monkey’s new album “The Car” released in Oct 2022 may be the catalyst to catapulting indie music into dominance in the industry next year.
Live Music Will Be Big
Live music suffered a big decline during the pandemic but is set to make a comeback. Fans who missed attending live performances are feeling the absence of concerts and are rushing to see live music as they return.
2023 could rank as the most significant year for live performances as people long to see their favourite musicians perform live.