What Else is Going on in the Music Industry?

 

At adHOME, we know the consumer and consumerism, from services to products, from patterns to shelf-life, and like any other product, music fits into this map somewhere, but sometimes it’s hard to determine quite where. Certain music seems disposable—it might play non-stop on the radio for three months and then get replaced, never to be heard again—while other music can last tens or even hundreds of years. It’s hard to think of music as a product and it’s difficult to determine what makes one song last while another can’t.

During our breakfast club this week, entitled Music is Alive – Part Deux, Tom discussed some of the new trends in music this year and what albums he’s currently listening to that might have that multigenerational impact. We all got a little sample of each artist.

The two big players on the list were Justin Bieber and Colplay with their new albums Purpose and A Head Full of Dreams, respectively.

The other eight were less well known, but still have loyal followings. The album Brand New by Ben Rector is a brand new idea in the sense that the lyrics explore everyday life, spending a weekend binging Netflix rather than partying at expensive LA clubs. Diamonds by Johnnyswim features a husband and wife duo, former teachers that gave it up for a singing career in bluesy American Folk pop. Explains it All by Four Year Strong features solely covers of 90s songs, following one of the throwback trends we talked about, while the Amber Run song we sampled from their album 5AM includes the haunting but beautiful vocals of a choir in church, mixing genres to create something unique.

Tom’s full list is below.

Brand New – Ben Rector

Adventure – Madeon

Explains It All – Four Year Strong

A Head Full of Dreams – Coldplay

When Its Dark Out – G-Easy

James Arthur – James Arthur

Diamonds – Johnnyswim

The 1975 – The 1975

Purpose – Justin Bieber

5AM – Amber Run

At adHOME, music inspires us, fuels our creative minds. Many of us listen to tunes while we work. Having something fresh—and perhaps something that will inspire our grandchildren someday—is always helpful.