A Moment Like This
Does the music industry invest time and energy planning long-term careers for artists or rather the tools that will help assess who will release the next viral song?
BEATS PER MINUTE (BPM).
You guys, a lot happened in the month of February.
The Wknd gave us the gif of all gifs in form of a live visual album.
13 years later, Taylor Swift announces her new version of Fearless is due April 9.
Spotify launches HiFi — allowing Premium users access to CD-quality audio.
Billie Eilish’s brother, co-songwriter, co-producer, and 6x Grammy winner Finneas tweeted the mood of all moods for creators everywhere.
A couple weeks ago, I met up with a friend in LA who created her own business centered around hosting intentional event gatherings called At The Lane. Amidst the pandemic, she’s still crushing it, especially on TikTok.
We talked about what inherently drives creative motivation and why continuing to publish is all about the long game. In other words, relentlessly pursue the things that make you alive and share them with the world! It’s far better than making hundreds of iterations of something before you think it’s “ready.” You never know what could come from it.
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A Moment Like This
As later generations are becoming more impatient with media consumption, the articles below make me think the music industry is too.
Songs are shorter as artists only get numbers for streams that hit 30 seconds.
In a world where every creative is looking for their “moment,” do music industry professionals invest time and energy planning long-term careers for artists or rather the tools that will help assess who will release the next viral song?
First, let’s distinguish what we call Career Artists from Moment Artists.
Think of the greats, a few of my favorites include: Louis Armstrong, Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and Fleetwood Mac. Follow them up with artists of our generation: Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Adele, Taylor Swift. To add, and no doubt a Career Artist in the making: Billie Eilish, who went from singing acoustic sets in a church in 2017 to an 18-year-old artist who won every major category at the 2020 Grammy Awards. What do all these artists have in common?
They’ve successfully created a legacy, a foundation upon which they’ll be remembered. Either they started performing at a young age or claimed fame later in life—but they’ve pivoted through the decades to remain relevant to their audience, yet still creatively fulfilled. For many of us, they’re household names, their music lovable and memorable.
Now, think of Moment Artists. For me, these are defined as one-hit wonders, now transcending to TikTok crazes. You’re thinking Carly Rae Jepson, Baha Men, and Billy Ray Cyrus who got himself a twofer with “Old Town Road.” There’s no shame in being on this list, but it’s what you do with those five seconds of fame that matters. Lecrae explains this, ownership, and maximizing label relationships the best I’ve heard it starting 7:05 —
Maybe you’re lucky and you land the Friends theme song which still creates royalties 20 years later, or a jam like "Take On Me” that goes from being blasted on the Walkman to your AirPods.
Do Moment Artists aspire to become Career Artists? Absolutely. They have one breakout song everyone falls in love with, and they ride that high for as long as they can. But if they’re offered a record deal and their follow-up album is a dud, was it all just a fluke?
The hottest craze for new Moment Artists is TikTok, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. In fact, TikTok is a leading vehicle for influencers and creators to make money through sponsorships and advertisements, allowing them to have a higher stake of control (something musicians crave more of). Given the pandemic’s orders to stay inside, 800 million users downloaded the app in 2020. Songs like “Savage” and “Blinding Lights” went viral as users streamed them over and over again to practice until they mastered the popular choreography and published their own version. This led to an uptick in streams, more money for streaming services, eventually trickling down to labels and artists. “Blinding Lights” was the most-streamed song of 2020 at 1.6 billion streams.
My prediction? Industry professionals will continue to invest in Career Artists while embracing the strategy of Moment Artists. Leveraging future-forward media platforms like TikTok and leaning more on the latest trends in the tech space like NFTs. More on those trends in my next monthly issue.
Who are your favorite Career and Moment Artists and why? I’d love to hear from you. Just click the green button here.
Albums | Listen to these front to back, the only way to do it.
This album always leaves me in a feel-good mood, so what better way to start your week? Seriously, it’s now playing for me. Every song flows together seamlessly well, but listen for “Harmony Hall” and “This Life”, they’re my favorites. Father of the Bride was the group’s first nomination and strong contender for Album of the Year at the 2019 Grammys. Oh, and if you’re a fan of HAIM, you’ll be happy to learn Danielle Haim is featured on three songs.
I made banana pancakes last weekend while listening to a playlist with a few Chance songs and discovered how much I love this album all over again. The last concert I attended in Austin before moving to LA in 2017 was Chance the Rapper at Austin City Limits. Let me tell you, it was the perfect sendoff because he put on an absolute SHOW. My favorite tracks include “Blessings”, “Same Drugs”, and “All Night”.
Shout out to my sister for this recommendation. In 2017, American listeners welcomed Latin music with successful hits like Despacito (#1 on the charts for 17 weeks) and Mi Gente. Seeing Bad Bunny’s success is exciting, particularly as Latin Trap continues to rise in popularity. Check out Sunlighter’s profile of his X100PRE album here.
RN | Songs I’m loving…right now.
I’ve got a special place in my heart for Texan artists, and Zachary Knowles is the latest and greatest. Hailing from Magnolia, Texas—no, not the Chip & Joanna kind—a suburb about 45 minutes northwest of Houston, he draws influence from artists like John Mayer, Post Malone, and Justin Bieber. Huge range there, and you’ll notice the variety as you listen through his discography. His latest is johnny & june, an adorable lullabye-esque tune that’ll make your heart sing.
I discovered Lostboycrow after working with flor at South by Southwest in 2017. The first song I heard was a duet with all five artists called “still standing still.” I remember my sister and I were on our way back from our famous weekly Saturday coffee dates and we both stopped when we heard his voice of velvet.
His discography ranges from solo work (his latest Valleyheart EP and Traveler EP are my favorites), collaborations with flor, DYSN, and a band he created with Olivver the Kid called 1990nowhere, among others.
Stay tuned for my One Last Question interview session with Lostboycrow on Sunlighter.
This song appeared on my Discover Weekly and I was instantly drawn into the staccato chord progressions. The minor melodies and rich voices—especially PJ’s—reminded me of The Civil Wars or Penny and Sparrow. Australian singer-songwriter PJ Harding met Noah Cyrus at a writing camp years ago where they both decided to team up as a band. Over the last year, they created her The End of Everything EP as well as a project of six songs, and this is the debut.
Lyrics on Loop | Find the lyrics that speak to your soul and never let go.
When did you start to forget how to fly?
Since the Grammys are this Sunday, stay tuned for special edition of Beats by Donya with my predictions for the major four categories later this week.
Cheers,
Donya