Tech trends that will impact music and entertainment in 2020
by Startacus Admin
2020 is just around the corner, which means it’s time to look at what technology has got in store for us in the upcoming year. Here’s an overview of some of the key trends we are seeing talked about all over the web and believe will be popularized in the music industry in the nearest future.
Theoretically, there can be over 30 trillion songs.
Music recognition technology
Shazam has been the beloved app for many music lovers for years now. The generation Z can’t seem to live without it, and apps like Shazam are only going to get bigger.
Identifying songs and tunes is not only a useful feature for many music lovers, it’s also vital for artists and their teams to be able to fight copyright infringement. At least a quarter of mechanical licenses in the US is not recognized on streaming platforms. Many services have built-in tools to identify copyrighted music, like the Content ID in YouTube.
We predict the trend is only going to get bigger, better and faster in 2020.
Digital ecosystems
Digital ecosystems – integrated platforms that allow multiple business actors to interact – are predicted to be big in 2020 and the next few years.
In music, this can mean musicians and fans migrating to more integrated music ecosystems, designed for their needs specifically, e.g. Show4me Music Interaction Network. In such ecosystems, musicians can interact with fans, share their news and art, monetize music, sell show tickets, and conduct their full-cycle music business in a single space.
AI recommendations
Another in-demand tool for the music community is AI music recommendations. Users tend to get stuck in a rut
when it comes to discovering new music, and only a handful of the most proactive actively seek out blogs, playlists and publications that feature new tracks.
Music discovery is bound to be filled with trial and error, which makes it a bit of a rollercoaster for the user and is also time-consuming. More precise music recommendations, powered by the developing AI technology, is something that is bound to take center stage in 2020 and beyond. It will help everyday music lovers, as well as music pros and reporters.
Wearables
Another technology trend for 2020 is wearables. As the technology is developing, new ideas and concepts emerge for concertgoers and music consumers.
For example, BodyRocks offers devices that transmit vibrations to provide haptic feedback to the user and make listening to music more immersive.
Virtual reality concerts
Speaking of immersive, virtual reality concerts are coming. Will they become mainstream in 2020? Hard to tell, 
but with the gadgets that provide VR and AR experiences becoming more lightweight and affordable it’s easy to see that virtual reality concerts are the next step for many musicians at any stage of their career.
Top level performers might be interested in the format to be able to reach even more fans and save some sweat on touring the globe, while smaller acts will get more opportunities to provide their fans from all parts of the world with fun show experience without having to spend a fortune on a possibly unprofitable tour.
‘Direct artist’ services companies
One of Europe’s top music conferences Midem will focus on the rise of ‘direct artist’ services companies, their rise in popularity and tackle the host of financial models for unsigned artists in their 2020 edition.
Allowing artists to take full control over their business and building fanbase, monetizing music and organizing concerts on their own is a big trend that can help local music scene in many regions become more diverse.
New analytical tools
New analytical tools will help musicians and their teams know what their fans like better about their music and figure out what their fans’ preferences are.
Big data will not only get reflected in the emergence of SaaS companies, but more reports based on big data will be released to outline general public preferences, lifestyle choices and needs, when it comes to music and live entertainment.
Concert crowdfunding
Music crowdfunding has been around for quite a while, and the trend has been slowly spreading to live shows. The concept of fans pre-ordering a show directly from their favorite artist has been tackled by a couple of startups, one of which has since grown into a full-blown music interaction network that we talked about in the digital ecosystems
section of this article, Show4me.
They do still feature the concert crowdfunding toolkit that’s increasingly popular with the users as it allows musicians to launch concerts without investing own money in the production and not knowing if the tickets will sell.
Music for pets
Our final prediction is music for… pets! While technologically advanced toys and monitoring devices for pets have been surging in popularity for quite a while now (think PetCube), writing music for pets is something we haven't heard before but feel is surely coming.
A commercial for Skymee Owl Robot gave us the idea – if we are buying toys for pets to stay entertained and busy while we aren’t home, how services that distribute music for pets are not a thing yet? We know for sure such music exists, so maybe 2020 will be the year for written-for-pets music to become big? Let us know in the comments!
WRITTEN BY Mary Ivanova, writer and author of multiple articles, interviews and think pieces on the state of the music industry, an expert from Show4me Music Interaction Network.
Team Startacus previously wrote about Show4me, so find out about their ecosystem for the music industry too! :)
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Published on: 14th December 2019
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