Before the Internet exploded around 2000, our access to music was limited.
It all started at the record company level. Without a deal, distributing your music was nearly impossible. Even if you did, your music has gone through other filters: radio, music video channels, record stores and music magazines. All this time you were competing with all the other new songs as well as old favorites.
It was difficult to attract public attention. Getting them to part with their limited disposable income and buy your music was even harder.
But since the initial offer was small and the screening process was very strict, the reward awaited the lucky few who found themselves on the other side of the star production system. We lived in a monoculture based largely on radio broadcasts. In those days we had a general idea of what everyone else was listening to. Music lovers were united by a common musical vocabulary and the need to know that there were people with similar musical tastes. And because the most popular songs were so common, we couldn't help but learn the lyrics even to the songs we hated.
To be a popular artist meant to be BIG: Michael Jackson, Madonna, AC/DC, Eagles. You can stop any stranger on the street to name three songs by any of these artists and get three correct answers.
Today, however, we all live in our own separate, individual and very personal musical bubbles, and we love it that way. It's so cool to have our own little special niche created just for us. Thanks to streaming, there are no more “mainstream” music fans. We are all unique and we all have our own opinions about what is “good” music.
Even with such a big man as Taylor Swifther songs haven't reached the ubiquity we were used to seeing before 2000. If you want to test this, ask a random stranger to name three Tay-Tay songs. If you don't choose Swifty, this person will probably have a hard time. I work in the music industry with all types of music 24-7-365 and I have problems.
Another example: what was the song of the summer of 2025? What song was on everyone's minds in June, July and August? For the first time in many years, there was no clear winner. This highlights the fact that we have moved beyond big artists creating big hits for the masses. There are far fewer hits today than there were in the past because the same number of people can no longer agree on what we should all be listening to. This overall song/artist experience is far from what it used to be.
Radio, as popular as it still is, is no longer as dominant as it once was when it comes to spreading the word about a song or artist. Music video channels have disappeared. When was the last time you bought a hard copy music magazine? And how many regular people regularly visit record stores because they have that hot new release that everyone is talking about? must have? Instead, we have streaming algorithms that automatically and constantly suggest an endless parade of songs that they think might appeal to us as an individual music fan. There is no longer “everyone.” It's just me.
The music industry is struggling to redefine “mass appeal.” And it's more than just radio airplay, streaming numbers and record sales. In today's music business, you can create a hit that goes beyond what was once considered mainstream. In fact, you'll be surprised at how much action can benefit their community alone.
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Take My chemical romanceFor example. When they announced their reunion tour, I was surprised that they were invited to play stadiums. Stadiums? For an emo band that broke up years ago and whose reunion was delayed due to COVID-19? However, last summer, during one 30-day period, an average of 42,797 people showed up per show, and the show was 100 percent sold out. Surprised? I was.
And then there are the Lumineers. I have hey group that became Family Guy meme. During the same three-day period, they played seven sold-out concerts, averaging 18,430 tickets per concert, resulting in an average box office gross of nearly US$2 million per show.
Here are some more recent numbers from Pollstar, the bible of the touring music industry. Are any of these “mainstream” artists in the old sense of the term?
- ENHYPHEN: Eight shows with 98 percent sold, average 20,329 tickets per show, average gross US$2.9 million.
- Rüfüs Du Sol: nine concerts with 96 percent sold, average 18,197 tickets per concert, average gross US$1.65 million.
- Phil Wickman/Brandon Lake: Six shows 100 percent sold, average 15,733 tickets per show, average gross $889,512.
- Anuel A.A.: Eight concerts sold with 85 percent sales, average 13,794 tickets per concert, average gross income US$1.2 million.
Even Creed, one of the most derided bands of the last quarter century, sells out shows with an average attendance of 11,000. That's about a million dollars a night.
To be clear, nothing I say is the story of an old man yearning for the old days. I'm just pointing out the difference between what the music world used to be and what it has become.
While the major labels still haven't figured out how to navigate this new world, indie labels have a better chance. Songs and artists spread online through streamers and social media and eventually find their audience, one person at a time. Eventually, there are enough of them to coalesce into that artist's community, communities that, while large, are largely invisible to everyone else.
Another paradigm is to create a group of superfans. If you can convince just 3,000 people to pay you $10 a month for all kinds of exclusive access and special privileges, that's $360,000 a year. Not bad.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to listen to Jenny Beth's new album. You're a heartbreaker, you. This is excellent. Everyone's listening to it—or at least they should be.
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