Thread by @cheriehu42

for those of you still in the mood for holiday future-gazing: i compiled 20 of my favorite trend/analysis articles i wrote this year about innovation in music, whose findings may have significant ramifications for how the industry evolves in 2019 and beyond. thread >>

1/ the rise of ridesharing and autonomous vehicles is transforming marketing strategy for major labels, who have historically delegated most of their marketing $$ to terrestrial radio promotion with little backend data. read why in my piece for @forbes >> forbes.com/sites/cheriehu…

2/ music is taking center stage as a growth driver in the mass adoption of smart speakers—but significant challenges remain for music companies with respect to streamlined discovery, metadata and context awareness. read more in my piece for @billboard >> billboard.com/biz/articles/n…

3/ newly-public Tencent Music caused an industry buzz when it revealed it makes >70% of its revenue not from audio streaming, but from "social entertainment services" like in-app tipping. i dove into these unconventional economics for @musicbizworld >>
musicbusinessworldwide.com/tencent-music-…

4/ this year saw a flurry of deals between music and fitness startups—opening diversified, context-driven revenue streams for artists, while signaling fitness companies' evolution into full-fledged multimedia brands. read more in my piece for @forbes >>
forbes.com/sites/cheriehu…

5/ we saw nearly no impact at scale from any blockchain-music app this year. in fact, one of the tech's biggest selling points—smart contracts—might not yet be ready for music copyright's legal complexities. read about why in my piece for @BreakerMag >> breakermag.com/are-smart-cont…

6/ VR in music is similarly overhyped: despite more investment, even the biggest/oldest startups in the ecosystem have yet to deliver on the revenue and exposure that music companies want. read more about why they've fallen short in my piece for @forbes >>
forbes.com/sites/cheriehu…

7/ VCs and corporations like Google and Facebook poured a lot of money this year into researching and productizing AI-generated music. for @billboard, i dove into what is poised to be one of the industry's biggest commercial and creative disruptors >>
billboard.com/biz/articles/n…

8/ @37d03d, Chance x Chicagoist, Warner Music x UPROXX: several artists and labels built or bought media companies this year, no longer waiting for permission to claim greater control over their narratives. read about why in my piece for @musicbizworld >> musicbusinessworldwide.com/what-happens-w…

9/ (no. 8’s sister) several brands like United and W Hotels released their own records this year, joining the ranks of Red Bull and Starbucks. i wrote for @musicbizworld about how this potentially complicates ad/disclosure policies on streaming services >> musicbusinessworldwide.com/the-myth-of-ad…

10/ one of my most-shared articles: i wrote for @billboard about the inefficacy of playlist engagement metrics on Spotify, and why some major playlists with millions of followers on the platform can have little to no impact on an artist's streams >>
billboard.com/articles/busin…

11/ from direct artist deals, to shows like RapCaviar/Who We Be Live, Spotify tried (with mixed results) to integrate vertically across music sectors this year. i wrote early on for @billboard about what this strategy could mean for the wider industry >>
billboard.com/biz/articles/n…

12/ no. 11's sibling: Spotify hired chief content officer Dawn Ostroff (formerly Condé Nast) this year, signaling expansion into content beyond music. i wrote for @billboard about the importance of this approach in outpacing rivals like Apple and Amazon >>
billboard.com/articles/busin…

13/ festivals are trying to align themselves with streaming culture, in both business models (e.g. Live Nation's Festival Passport) and messaging (i.e. serving as "shuffle-friendly" entry points into music fandom). read about why in my piece for @forbes >>
forbes.com/sites/cheriehu…

14/ despite hip-hop's commercial dominance, many producers are still signing faulty contracts that leave them in the dust financially. my @pitchfork debut dove into how producers & lawyers are trying to solve industry-wide payment woes once and for all >>
pitchfork.com/levels/why-so-…

15/ inspired by sampling, many startups this year built tools and marketplaces that break down songs further into isolated vocals/instrumentals ("stems") and loops ("sounds"), letting fans participate in remix culture. read more in my piece for @forbes >>
forbes.com/sites/cheriehu…

16/ no. 15's evil twin: despite tech innovation, sampling still poses a legal nightmare in terms of tracking down and paying copyright holders properly. a great @AIMPorg panel dove into why this landscape is still so complex—read my recap for @billboard >> billboard.com/biz/articles/n…

17/ 2018 saw crazy momentum in music-esports collabs—from Universal Music's esports label and @Ninja's album with Astralwerks, to investments from music magnates like Drake and Scooter Braun in esports leagues. read about why in my deep-dive for @forbes >>
forbes.com/sites/cheriehu…

18/ in a streaming-first economy where tech platforms exert significant influence on people's everyday listening habits, music critics are continually fighting for their financial sustainability and cultural relevance. read more on how in my @cjr debut >>
cjr.org/analysis/algor…

19/ short-form video remains unstable. Musical.ly, like Vine, disrupted A&R/celebrity norms, yet failed to find a business model and shortly shut down. i wrote for @musicbizworld about whether this déjà-vu death spiral can ever be escapable >> musicbusinessworldwide.com/vine-and-music…

20/ Spotify, Deezer and Warner Music all expanded into the Middle East in 2018, even though the region—like many emerging markets nearby—still suffers from piracy and scarce A&R resources. read more about the challenge ahead in my piece for @billboard >> billboard.com/biz/articles/n…

aaaaand that's it, thank you all so much for reading and for a wonderful year 🙂