Bigger rooms and indie music realities

Both on a global scale and right here in our backyard, the music industry is evolving at a dizzying pace. And I’m here to help you make sense of the “Key Changes” in these roundups of music news analysis. 

Lately I’ve been tracking how trends in the tech and entertainment landscapes can alter the fortunes of an entire musical market, and how these trends can disproportionately impact independent music-makers. 

Size matters 

The Contemporary Christian music industry struggled to adapt to the digital era. But one sign that its most social media-savvy and crossover-friendly stars are pulling in new listeners was evident at the industry awards for Christian and Gospel music, known as the Doves. For years, the awards show was held in smaller venues, but on October 7, it returned to Bridgestone Arena, the same big room as the CMA Awards, for the first time in a quarter-century. 

 Late-night worries 

On the old-school media front, the prospect of late-night TV shows getting cancelled stirred fears about what that means for free speech. It also was a cause for worry about another potential loss: exposure for independent artists who have few other chances to perform for mainstream audiences. Even though the viewership for late-night shows isn’t what it used to be, their reach can be vastly expanded when clips get circulated on social media. 

Elizabeth Cook, a longtime leading light of Nashville’s outsider country scene, charmed David Letterman with her memorable songs and stories and the sharp-witted sophistication beneath her down-home presentation and got herself invited back to his show repeatedly. That did so much for her career that it’s included in a new feature film called “The Easy Kind” loosely based on her life that’s currently on the festival circuit.  

Bringing independent artists into the AI fight 

Another independent country artist, Tony Justice, is named as the plaintiff in a class action lawsuit against two AI music creation apps, Suno and Udio. Those companies had already been sued for copyright infringement by the three big major labels, Warner, Sony and Universal, but that doesn’t include the rights of independent artists. Delgado Entertainment Law, the firm handling the case, has set up a website where other music-makers can apply to join.