Written by Brian Penick — It’s 4:00 a.m. and I’m lying awake thinking about work. But this time isn’t just about my business, it’s about ours––specifically, what the “new normal” of the music industry will look like after COVID-19 is officially in the past.
Many great articles are being written about how musicians can survive these unprecedented times, from how to host live concerts, learn platforms like Twitch and how fans can support artists, among others. I’m curious how our industry will embrace and respond to change––something we historically have not been the best at dealing with, as evidenced by the transition from physical sales to streaming, adopting new technologies, music licensing rights and countless other scenarios.
Based on conversations with everyone from artists to investors and my 20-plus years experience working in music (as a musician, in startups and venture capital), here is the first of a series in my predictions for the post-pandemic music industry.
“Creatives” are often thought of as lacking business skills, which is a myth I hope to contribute towards debunking. In my time working to develop artists, from indie to platinum-level, the most successful have been the most entrepreneurially minded. Regardless of where an artist may sit on the business spectrum, I believe this period of change will produce two types of musicians: the “Embraced” and the “Impacted.”
The Embraced musician is an entrepreneur birthed out of necessity. Living by the creed of “desperate times call for desperate measures,” these individuals will find every opportunity to sustain their careers. Performing livestream concerts at home, video messaging with fans, custom songwriting for hire, teaching lessons online, continued education or even writing a catchy pandemic-themed song are all creative outlets to explore. The Embraced musician will create an opportunity out of what others deem a crisis.
The Impacted musician, however, will not fare as well. While everyone has their own unique circumstances and privilege that need to be taken into account, there will be some musicians who objectively view the pandemic as a brick wall that cannot be climbed. The desire may be there, but the motivation to put need into tangible action may be lacking. This, unfortunately, is something I have experienced with several of my (previous) artist clients, ultimately preventing talented musicians from finding success.
Regardless of their reasoning, the Impacted segment will have an even more difficult time post-pandemic casually reapproaching music, from repetitive live performances to infrequent social media marketing and unwillingness to adopt new technology. Musicians who continue with the “business as usual” philosophy will be further distanced from those who embrace the change. The real question is: what type of musician are you?
