Here are 11 predictions for music in 2022
[This was my weekly column for GlobalNews.ca. – AC]
Like you, Omicron has bummed me out. Just as we thought things were getting better, COVID-19 wiggles its spikes into a new configuration and suddenly December 2021 felt a lot like March 2020. But maybe we should have seen this coming. This pandemic mirrors many of the things that happened with the great influenza pandemic in 1918-20. If this continues to hold true, then we should see a major recovery by the spring.
That’s my first prediction for 2022. Here are a few other things that I predict for the coming year.
1. TikTok will become even more of a monster when it comes to music
Once TikTok struck licensing deals with the recorded music industry, the platform — now the third-largest social media network on the planet — became a huge source of revenue for labels and artists. We’ve already seen dozens of performers who blew up this way, including Olivia Rodrigo, Doja Cat, and Megan Thee Stallion. And success can come out of nowhere. Vancouver’s Mother Mother has a song called “Burning Pile” that was the sixth most-popular alternative/rock TikTok track in the universe in 2021. They released that song in 2008.
Ten more to go. Keep reading.
