What Will Music Look Like In 2021?

Yeah, Paul, part of that is what I've been thinking about, specifically wrt to all these delayed and pushed back albums. I mean, I get folks like Lady Gaga or whoever wanting that huge marketing muscle behind them, but at what point is it just going to be a massive glut of product that means 90% of the albums just get absolutely buried?

For bands with fans that still want physical product, seems a better thing to release the digital now for streaming numbers and then do the big marketing roll-out later with the LP orders and whatnot. Obviously this might not work as well for pop acts that live and die by streaming numbers anyway, but I just see a massive noise of releases come fall that ends up serving no one.

I mean, hell, Phish just released their surprise new studio album on Wednesday and it's tracking to be the number one album in the country. So there is clearly attention to be grabbed right now without waiting.

Okay correction, the Phish album was #1 ahead of Dua Lipa yesterday but may now be getting crowded out with today's new releases... so nevermind that particular part.

Also, punk, metal, and hardcore fans, get ready for 6-8 band bills and for shows to start at 5pm, with everyone playing for a cut of the door. Yikes.

Well, until recently we were getting 6-band bills that started at 8 PM (the dreaded "local openers"), so...