The music business took a huge beating in 2014. The industry was oversaturated with hit songs, but very little artistry to match. This was the year of the music producer. The production on a lot of these songs was so big it took away from the creativity of the recording artists. Let’s be honest, if most of the songs on the radio were made by the same producer, then we basically heard the same track on 20 different records. Therefore, the lack of creativity contributed to the decline of album sales.
As we all know, Taylor Swift was the only artist to go platinum this year. Of course it’s a big deal if only one artist goes platinum in an entire year, but sometimes things have to completely fall apart in order to properly rebuild it. That’s what the industry needed – a rude awakening! It’s obvious the industry is falling apart when there are artists making more headlines for negative stories outside the realm of music, rather than making headlines about their music.
Sure, there are a few artists who broke into the industry this year who are certain to have promising careers. One artist in particular, Sam Smith, proved that audiences still appreciate soulful love songs. Not everyone feels like “these girls ain’t loyal.”
Now that the consumers have the attention of the major label executives, what happens next? Nothing? Or will a change finally come? There is no way the industry wants another year of record low album sales. In order to avoid this, the labels must get back to the basics.
First, it starts with their big-name artists releasing great music; Madonna, Drake, Adele, Kanye West, and Dr. Dre (cross your fingers), are just a few superstars expected to release an album in 2015. I know what you’re thinking, Dr. Dre is never going to release Detox. Well, you are partially right; Dre is not expected to release his infamous Detox album in 2015. Instead, he is releasing an album with brand new material. The anticipation for Detox got so out of control, the pressure could literally bust a pipe.
As long as Dr. Dre releases something next year, I’m satisfied. Just writing about these artists releasing projects is exciting! I try not to guarantee anything, but I stand by my statement. 2015 will be a better year for music. If you don’t believe me, just watch.