#145 - How did we do wth 2022 predictions?
#145 - How did we do wth 2022 predictions?
2022 turned out to be rougher than I thought! Here's our list of predictions from last year and our comments a year later!
Last year's predictions for 2022.. how did we do?
1) DSD downloads will make a comeback...
In a very unexpected way, we saw an increased rise in DSD interest (both recording and downloads) due to the MoFi vinyl situation where they admitted using a DSD256 master of the tape in their chain to cut vinyl. Many folks were divided in the vinyl community but there were a lot of youtube vinyl reviewers admitting the sound of their vinyl frm MoFi was fantastic. Many were now buying DSD audio for listening.
2) Streaming services will not be the major source of listening. Services like Spotify will become what radio was long ago - a place to discover artists, but not necessarily all the music.
Spotify isn't dead yet but they have reported a slow down of listeners in 2022. Their focus is moving towards podcasts. Vinyl continues to surge, CDs are starting to make comeback and even 1/4" tape machines are becoming 'fashionable' as a listening experience.
3) It's going to be uncovered that music distribution companies don't really know how to collect from dsps (digital services providers like Apple, Spotify, and 200 other places you get music).
Yes, it's been uncovered and with enough complaining, we finally has seen a few payouts from those companies. But it has stopped again. Musicians and labels still need to rally around this one.
4) NFTs will become much, much, much more purchased as the artist's true fans buy the NFTs to support the artist to create quality work.
Okay, this one I completely missed. When the stock market and crypto crashed, NFT were taken out of the public eye. Blockchain is still a great idea but we are years away from NFTs being mainstream.
5) Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others will diminish in popularity for places to promote music. Instead, they'll be used to promote new communities build around the artist or a genre or an idea and found on places like Discord. These new communities will monitor the "snark" factor. The "meanness" that current social media exhibits will not be allowed in the controlled communities at Discord.
What a bad year for social. Twitter bought by Musk, Facebook is Meta, and the algorithms make it increasingly hard to build or find a community. This is directly impacting the musician's music. Tik Tok is not the answer. It's a mess for musicians right now who aren't touring.
6) People will be more willing to pay for subscriptions to publications for insights and trusted journalists.
Yes, this seems to be a growing trend that I think will continue through 2023. We've started 4 new publications on substack. The community is responsive and growing. We have plans for more..... Cookie's Corner .. is now on substack. https://cookiescorner.substack.com/
7) Netflix, Disney, and all the others are gonna see a decline in subscribers.
Yes, it happened. How many subscriptions did you cancel this year?
Next week I'll have an installment for 2023 predictions. Let me know what yours might be!
Have a safe and peaceful New Year!
Cookie Marenco
Founder and Producer
Blue Coast Records and Music