Why is the Music Industry so Slow in December? And What to Do About It
Have you ever noticed that the music industry seems to slow to a snail’s pace during December? Or speculated reasons why the number of tours & independent releases falls to near zero during the final month of the year?
Sure, in 2020, we received a Kid Cudi album & a Taylor Swift album during December, but even in past years, this month is relegated to top tier artists who are receiving significant label support.
Or maybe you’re an independent artist trying to release their album during this time. Still, your distributor or aggregator either isn’t willing to let you unleash your album this month, or they aren’t ready to provide any support.
So why does everything come to a halt during this season? Two quick reasons:
The industry goes on vacation.
Like any other industry, music tends to celebrate the holidays starting in early December, all the way until New Years’. For once, everyone is allowed a few days off, and therefore productivity slows to a crawl.
Christmas Music provides a considerable amount of revenue, even without a ton of incremental releases each year.
Individual artists such as Mariah Carey or Ariana Grande can generate up to $1 million a year during the holiday season with a single one of their holiday hits. This is a sure-fire way to maintain consistent revenue for record labels while fewer hands are on deck.
Besides, Christmas music is challenging to compete with. In a world where your average listener has less than 12 hours a day to stream on average, competing with Christmas music, let alone Christmas movies, television shows, social media & more is a near-impossible prospect. Most independent or smaller artists end up deciding that holding their release until Q1 the following year is the smart decision.
So what should you do instead during this holiday season? Here are my recommendations:
Relax & spend time reconnecting with friends. Being an independent artist is difficult & typically burns up a lot of time. Make sure to spend some time this holiday season remembering why you’re pursuing this line of work in the first place. Make some time to reconnect with family or friends (over Zoom/FaceTime if necessary to be safe).
Take time to learn a new skill. Our friend SoloSam always points out that allotting some time to learn new skills regularly is an excellent way to guarantee progress. Take these few weeks off to watch some YouTube videos, and learn how to mix your music, design your merchandise, or anything that excites you.
Put together a plan for next year. This is the perfect time to sit down with your friends or your team and put together some loose goals for the upcoming year. Without a constant hustle to release music for a few weeks, you should finally have some time to sit down with less stress and think about where you want to be one year from now.
Network. There’s always time to continue networking online. Whether you’re in Clubhouse or on Twitter, you don’t need new music releases to reach new people or outlets. Take advantage of this time if you’re interested, and reach out to someone you admire. It might end up being a connection that changes your life.
If you’re a fan who still wants to support your favorite artist during this season, there are a few ways to help out.
Continue streaming or listening to your favorite artist’s albums. There’s nothing wrong with getting into the spirit, but still make sure to listen to your favorite artist’s music - it goes a long way.
Gift merchandise, your tickets, or anything else the artist is currently offering direct to consumer. Many independent artists do a great job of providing merchandise around the holiday season. This merchandise could be an excellent gift for an existing fan. Or gifting a new vinyl record to a music buff is a perfect way to introduce someone to a new artist.
The holiday season is unique for an artistic industry. While the film industry releases its tent pole films, the music industry is holding off on dropping blockbuster albums. While it’s a slow time for the industry, that’s not a bad thing. Take some time this holiday to be alone, connect with friends & family, and start to plan out your 2021. See y’all next year!
