20. With musical tastes changing constantly,
artists are becoming increasingly more
versatile in an effort to stay relevant and
have a career with longevity. Brands are
leveraging their music accordingly.
The only true genre trend in the music
industry is that there are no trends. If
anything, artists are experimenting more
and more with the blending of genres,
such as Pop-Country, Pop R&B, and Soul
Indie Electro. This shift evolved through a
decline in album sales, thereby compelling
artists to blend genres in order to reach a
more diverse audience and increase sales.
As this trend develops, we believe that
brands will source music that rebels
against traditional genre restraints to en-
gage with consumers on a deeper level. In
recent years, audiences across all demo-
graphics have prioritized discovery in their
music-oriented lifestyles: the discovery of
revolutionary songs, up-and-coming artists
and on-the-cusp trends. As music begins
to play a greater role in their marketing
initiatives, brands will rapidly start to ca-
pitalize on this market trend by incorpora-
ting authentic, progressive music and join
their consumers on the frontlines of music
discovery.
In 2015, we predict a return to live ins-
trumentation as artists steer away from
the electro fad towards producing orga-
nic sounds and layering real instruments
on top of electronic accompaniment. In
tandem, brands will license music from
artists that excel in this experimentation of
genre-blending. The coming year will also
witness brands partnering more with artists
in newly generated touchpoints, such as
music festivals and live activations.
By Eric Sheinkop, MUSIC DEALERS - @ESheinkop
21