We’re a week into 2025, and Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have gone full MAGA and parts of Los Angeles are burning.
Much like the world in general, the music business seems to be at an inflection point, its dominant subscription-streaming business model challenged by its success. As growth slows in the U.S. and Europe, labels and artists must contend with an avalanche of new music, disruption from distribution startups, and a possible ban on TikTok in the U.S.
In a lighter spirit, here are my predictions for the coming year: the good, the bad, the ugly — and the nerdy.The case against TikTok is tighter than many people assume — the U.S. has always restricted foreign ownership of some media . But at a time when both political parties need to show that they matter to young people, the availability of TikTok is a tempting problem to solve.
Trump’s administration will settle the federal antitrust case against Live Nation — but some states won’t back offseems to favor it, but Trump’s consistent desire for visible wins on popular issues will tempt him to settle and declare victory. The states that joined the Justice Department case might not agree, however, and they could continue to pressure the company in other ways.” already appeared briefly on Jan. 3. Expect a few more lyrical salvos, one or two of which could do well.
longer than others have been alive, yet they keep paying top dollar to see their favorite artists. Prices will rise most for big shows, boosted by FOMO and the ability to tell everyone you were there on social media. Live Nation will take the blame and make more money, even though prices have more to do with supply and demand — there are only so many tickets to go around.Subscription streaming saved the recorded music business, but its flaws are starting to show.