Abstract
It is hard to overstate the impact the pandemic had on the music industry, particularly for live music events. As David Bowie predicted, touring and performing live had become the only unique things left for musicians. In the streaming and peer to peer file sharing era, touring has become a vital part of any musician’s income. Many legendary bands and musicians have hit the road again in recent years, using touring as their primary means to make a living. But during the COVID pandemic, most were unable to tour, eliminating this source of income. This chapter discusses the impact of the pandemic on the music industry, and the ways that industry players adapted to the loss of revenue associated with pandemic lockdowns.
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Notes
- 1.
“2020*—A Year Forever Qualified” by Andy Gensler, Pollstar, https://news.pollstar.com/2020/12/11/2020-a-year-forever-qualified-2/, Accessed Feb. 1, 2023.
- 2.
“2020*—A Year Forever Qualified” by Andy Gensler, Pollstar, https://news.pollstar.com/2020/12/11/2020-a-year-forever-qualified-2/, Accessed Feb. 1, 2023.
- 3.
Oliver and Lalchev (2022).
- 4.
Steele (2021).
- 5.
Ibid.
- 6.
Oliver and Lalchev (2022).
- 7.
US Music 360 2017 Report Highlights, Nielson Music.
- 8.
Conti (2021).
- 9.
Fazio (2021).
- 10.
Beaumont (2021).
- 11.
Glicksman (2020b).
- 12.
For example, Powfu, Dixie D’Amelio, Doja Cat, Addison Rae, K Camp, Pop Smoke, Curtis Waters, and many others.
- 13.
“Social Media is Becoming a Social Studio,” by Kriss Thakrar, April 13, 2021, https://www.midiaresearch.com/blog/social-media-is-becoming-a-social-studio (Accessed Feb. 1, 2023).
- 14.
“Music Consumer Survey, Q3 2021: A New Generation Leans Forward” by Tatiana Cirisano, Midia Research, https://www.midiaresearch.com/reports/music-consumer-survey-q3-2021-a-new-generation-leans-forward.
- 15.
“Year on TikTok: Music 2020,” https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/year-on-tiktok-music-2020.
- 16.
Ingham (2021a).
- 17.
Ibid.
- 18.
“New Studies Quantify TikTok’s Growing Impact on Culture and Music,” July 21, 2021, Tiktok Newsroom, https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/new-studies-quantify-tiktoks-growing-impact-on-culture-and-music.
- 19.
Ingham (2021b).
- 20.
Glicksman (2020b).
- 21.
Glicksman (2020a).
- 22.
Leight (2022).
- 23.
Shah (2022).
- 24.
Shah (2018).
- 25.
Shah (2022).
- 26.
Leight (2022).
- 27.
Herrman (2022).
- 28.
Williams (2022).
- 29.
See “The Beatles Bible” https://www.beatlesbible.com/1969/09/19/beatles-lose-control-of-northern-songs/, or “The Paul McCartney Project” https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/1969/09/atv-gains-majority-stake-in-northern-songs/ for more details.
- 30.
“The Story Behind Michael Jackson Buying The Beatles’ Catalog and Angering Friend Paul McCartney” by Jacob Uitti, https://americansongwriter.com/the-story-behind-michael-jackson-buying-the-beatles-catalog-and-angering-friend-paul-mccartney/.
- 31.
The purchase included rights to songs by Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, and many others. See “A Brief History of the Ownership of the Beatles Catalog” by Dan Rys, Billboard.com, Jan 20, 2017, https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/beatles-catalog-paul-mccartney-brief-history-ownership-7662519/.
- 32.
“David Bowie, 21st Century Entrepreneur,” by Jon Pareles, The New York Times, June 9, 2002.
- 33.
Yang et al. (2022) “Music is in the Air,” Goldman Sachs Equity Research, June 13, 2022.
- 34.
Ibid.
- 35.
Sisario (2021).
- 36.
“Bob Dylan Sells His Master Recordings to Sony Music” by Mark Savage, BBC News, Jan. 24, 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-60118887, accessed Feb. 15, 2023.
- 37.
“Why Musical Artists Are Selling Their Catalog Rights” by Gary Graff, Loudwire, Dec. 7, 2022, https://loudwire.com/why-music-artists-selling-catalog-rights/ (Accessed Feb. 15, 2023).
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Byun, C. (2024). The Music Industry Disrupted: The COVID Era. In: The Economics of the Popular Music Industry. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-49899-2_4
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