The last ten years have been among the music industry’s most celebratory, and at the same time, the decade has introduced seismic shifts in consumption, culture and technology.
Only the strongest survive still holds true — witness how Universal Music Group fortified its global presence to market share leader by a mile — but so do those with conviction, be it an artist like Taylor Swift or Beyonce or a company like Spotify.
The 2010s will be remembered as a time of robust growth for music and its affiliated businesses; it’s also created a new model of overnight success, the latest being Lil Nas X’s ubiquitous “Old Town Road,” but just as momentous was Psy’s 2012 smash “Gangnam Style,” a hit that paved the way for the stratospheric success of BTS.
Credit the people and events of the last nine years for setting up what could be the last gasp of going-with-your-gut, as Moneyball metrics play an increasingly important role in what gets pushed out to market, while at the same time, any talent with a phone can wind up a Grammy nominee. Go figure.