- Donald Trump’s Presidential Inauguration (Jan. 20)
Artists like Carrie Underwood, Nelly, and Kid Rock performed at events linked to Trump’s inauguration but saw mixed outcomes:- Streaming Drops: Both Underwood and Nelly experienced a slight decline in U.S. streaming numbers compared to the previous week, with drops of nearly 6% and 5%, respectively. Kid Rock saw a minimal uptick of about 1%.
- Digital Sales Boosts: All three artists recorded small increases in digital downloads, though still under 1,000 daily sales.
- These shifts suggest political events may not strongly influence music consumption, even for politically aligned or highly visible artists.
- Hozier’s Rediscovered Arctic Monkeys Cover
Hozier’s tender 2014 BBC Live Lounge cover of Arctic Monkeys’ “Do I Wanna Know” is experiencing a viral revival:- Streaming Explosion: The cover saw a 3,941% increase in U.S. streams (1.4 million over five days), sparked by social media.
- Spillover Effect: The original Arctic Monkeys version also gained a 44% streaming increase, showing how covers can drive rediscovery of the source material.
- Beabadoobee’s “Real Man” Viral Success
The TikTok-driven rise of Beabadoobee’s track “Real Man” demonstrates the platform’s ongoing influence:- Stream Doubling: Weekly U.S. on-demand streams rose from 1.84 million to 3.67 million within a month.
- Re-Viral Moment: Fans rediscovered her older hit “The Perfect Pair”, boosting it by nearly 30% in streams, illustrating how new releases can breathe life into an artist’s back catalog.
- Julie Doiron’s Surprise Hit with “August 10”
Julie Doiron’s understated 1996 track “August 10” has become an unexpected TikTok hit:- Lo-Fi Breakthrough: Weekly streams have surpassed 4 million, marking steady growth since November.
- Billboard Debut: The song entered the Hot Rock Songs chart at No. 12, marking a major milestone for the lo-fi indie artist.
These stories reveal trends in how:
- Cultural Events: High-profile performances may not guarantee increased music consumption, especially when audiences have polarizing opinions about the event itself.
- Social Media Influence: Platforms like TikTok can catapult old and new songs into viral sensations, creating crossover hits or reviving dormant tracks.
- Fan Nostalgia: Rediscovery of past releases can amplify an artist’s relevance, particularly when tied to viral moments or new audience engagement.
This highlights how unpredictable and multifaceted the music landscape can be, where moments of virality and fan-driven trends often outweigh traditional promotion or event appearances.
