This year was different from any other year in every way possible. The music industry is no exception to the global COVID-19 pandemic’s adverse effect. True enough, big music hits were still able to break through to become summer staples. However, this year’s summer soundtracks deeply reflected the world’s current state.
Due to the pandemic lockdowns, musicians are getting creative from their homes to protest anthems played as a contribution to social justice movements. Also, physical concerts are n hold. This is the reason why artists and festival organizers thought of a way to bring fans together virtually. They used different platforms such as YouTube to connect people’s shared love of music, even when they cannot get together physically.
Despite the pandemic, there is no doubt that the music industry was still able to flourish. Below are the top music trends and major moments in music that occurred this summer on YouTube.
Top Music Trends and Moments On YouTube This Summer
1. Summer Music Shaped By Social Justice
Music has a long history of being used as a channel for protests. During the summer of this year, music has also been used to reflect the ongoing social justice movement taking place on the streets of America and across the world. Both the new and old protests songs were able to top the charts. Also, they became the soundtrack to the movements against social injustice and racism.
Last June, America, by Childish Gambino, conquered the US and Global YouTube Top Songs charts. In more than a dozen countries, the song appeared on YouTube’s chars. It has seen a huge spike in the middle of the protests.
Besides, modern-day protest songs such as The Bigger Picture by Lil Parade, Other Side of America by Meek Mill, and BLACK PARADE by Beyonce were also able to make it to the US Top Songs Chart during the summer of 2020.
On the other hand, several classics, like Kendrick Lamar’s Alright, D’Angelo and the Vanguard’s The Charade, Public Enemy’s Fight the Power, and many others, reemerged as protest anthems around the globe.
2. The Record-breaking YouTube View Increases of the Summer
The global COVID-19 pandemic did not stop the summer music from breaking records, setting trends, and reaching new milestones on the video-sharing platform. The drive of everyone being home resulted in a huge increase in YouTube views for nearly all creators.
During late June, Blackpink’s official music video for their song How You Like That was able to set a record for the biggest music video YouTube Premiere and 24-hour debut in the history of YouTube. There are myths that the YouTube channel bought YouTube views on the song, but who knows?
BTS’ music video for their song Dynamite recently garnered more than 101.1 million views in the first 24 hours of its release. This made the song’s music video launch the biggest 24-hour music video debut of all time. The said video has also successfully set a record for the biggest premiere on YouTube, with more than three million peak concurrents.
Moreover, various artists set new personal bests and reached new milestones on YouTube throughout the summer. Daddy Yankee’s Limbo allowed him to score his seventh entry in the Billion Views Club. On the other hand, Ed Sheeran reached 45 million subscribers on his official YouTube channel. Notably, he is just the third artist to reach such an achievement.
3. Summer of Female Collaborations
2020’s summer was showered with exceptional female collaborations on songs that successfully topped the music charts and gained massive views on YouTube.
For instance, Blackpink and Selena Gomez’s Ice Cream earned more than 79 million YouTube views on the first 24 hours of its release. This made the video the third biggest music video debut of all time.
Similarly, Megan Thee Stallion reigned the summer with her Savage remix featuring Beyonce. Her collaboration with Cardi B in the popular song WAP has ended the summer at the music charts’ top spot.
Doja Cat and Nicki Minaj’s collaboration on Doja’s hit song Say So also made it to the music charts. On the other hand, Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga’s song titled Rain On Me was able to garner nearly 200 million views since the video’s release.
4. YouTube Became A Virtual Venue and Stage For Artists
Live events are now on hold. This is why music fanatics are turning to YouTube as a virtual venue so they could enjoy all kinds of performances. From classic concerts from the archives, reimagined summer festivals, stripped-down live stream sets, and more, YouTube has been a virtual stage for musicians and artists.
Lollapalooza commemorated its festival weekend with Lolla2020. It was a four-night broadcast even exclusively accessible on YouTube for free. The event featured classic Lolla sets, as well as brand new performances from over 153 artists. Also, Lolla2020 featured Paul McCartney, OutKast, Chance The Rapper, Arcade Far, and many more on the Lollapalooza YouTube Channel.
Moreover, The Roots Picnic went virtual for their annual event. It teamed up with Michelle Obama and When We All Vote, her voter registration organization, for the 13th Annual roots Picnic. The virtual event happened on Root’s YouTube Channel. It showcased performances from various artists such as Kirk Franklin, H.E.R, Lil Baby, SZA, Roddy Ricch, and many others.
On the other hand, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Grateful Dead, The Who, and other popular classic artists that people know and love uploaded their beloved archival concert sets to YouTube during the summer. They aim to let fans relive and enjoy the concerts for the very first time from the comfort and safety of their own homes.
Final Thoughts
It is no surprise that the music industry was still able to flourish despite the global coronavirus pandemic that affects everyone. This is because fans are continuing to support their favorite artists in their own unique ways. Furthermore, we can expect more virtual concerts and events on YouTube while the pandemic does not allow physical events.