Regardless of how abnormal this past year may have been, and continues to be, December is a time to look back and what was while looking ahead to what’s to come.
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Music was many things for many people this year. An escape from the world, a source of entertainment, an outlet to deal with your emotions. Plenty of great music was made in 2020, one of the few commonalities this year shared with the past. Some artists finally made their breakthrough while other artists made their long-awaited return.
2020 had a bit of everything for fans. With countless resources at your disposal, music fans don’t have to look far to find a “Best Of 2020” list that agrees with them or enrages them. It’s a fun exercise to rank a subjective experience. With that in mind, we’re going to steer clear of trying to make a definitive list of the best albums, songs, or moments of the year. Instead, we’d like to take you inside the minds of the best and brightest programmers and on-air talent here at RADIO.COM and pull back the curtain to find out their perspectives on music in 2020.
We surveyed RADIO.COM programmers and on-air talent who are responsible for what you hear over the air and streaming on the RADIO.COM app on a daily basis, on a variety of topics. Breakthrough artist of the year, most innovative thing they saw in music, what 2020 musical trends will continue on past this year, what radio means in 2020, and much, much more.
Here’s what we found.
Who is your breakthrough artist of 2020?
When an artist has their breakthrough, it can mean a couple of things. For some artists, it can be finally getting widespread recognition and expansion of their fanbase after years of work. For other artists, it’s a burst onto the scene and immediate recognition of their talent. Because of that, we received a mix of responses containing veteran artists that re-emerged this year with new music or renewed attention to their previous work alongside newer artists that had a rapid ascension.
Here’s a look at artists RADIO.COM's staff considered breakthroughs in 2020.
Country
Hardy, Morgan Wallen, Jameson Rodgers, Ryan Hurd, Niko Moon, Parker McCollum, Tenille Arts, Gabby Barrett, Russell Dickerson.
Pop
Dua Lipa, Lewis Capaldi, Billie Eilish, Harry Styles.
Alternative
Brevin Kim, 24kGoldn, Badflower, The Glorious Sons, Cleoptatrick.
Hip Hop & R&B
DaBaby, Roddy Ricch, Megan Thee Stallion, H.E.R
Rock
AC/DC, Ayron Jones, Foo Fighters, Dirty Honey.
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What was the most innovative thing you saw in music this year?
As the COVID-19 pandemic prevented in-person concerts from taking place, artists got creative and utilized numerous different resources to stay connected to fans.
“I was encouraged to see so many artists finding new ways to connect with their fans, from virtual meet and greets to livestream shows, Zoom and Instagram Live interviews with radio personalities to past concerts being available for the masses,” RADIO.COM’s Taryn Daly said. “I think we all used technology to come together this year, supporting not just the artists themselves but supporting each other as fans."
“The original Christmas song releases from so many artists was interesting,” John Foxx, Regional Vice President of Programming and Brand Manager of New York’s Country 94.7 said. “Everyone had a lot more time to think about the great memories and what everything really meant to them this year.”
RADIO.COM’s Kevan Kenney called Travis Scott and his Fortnite concert the most innovative thing he saw in 2020. Dubbed Astronomical, Scott’s Fortnite concert drew in over 12 millions viewers. Additionally, we received numerous responses citing virtual collaborations, livestream concerts, drive-in concerts, and artists breaking traditional genre molds as innovations in 2020.
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What song released this year are you most excited to see live in concert?
We’re all looking forward to the time when we can once again gather at our favorite music venue and see live music. While plans are continuing to be made on what that will look like, including potentially requiring attendees having a COVID-19 vaccination or proof of negative test, we wanted to find out what song from this past year our respondents are most excited to see in concert.
Naturally, we received a wide-variety of responses with songs from artists like Dua Lipa, Post Malone, Kelsea Ballerini, The Rolling Stones, DaBaby, Foo Fighters, Chris Stapleton, and more.
There were two songs that were overwhelming favorites. The first is AC/DC’s “Shot In The Dark” off their brand new album PWR/UP. The second is The Weeknd’s chart-topping song “Blinding Lights.”
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What did 2020 teach you about radio?
Radio is an ever-evolving species. The one constant is that there is no constant. This rang especially true in 2020 as our respondents were forced to approach radio in a way they had never done before. Like elsewhere on this survey, we received an assortment of responses. It was a mixture of thoughtfulness, impact within the community, and even a bit of self-deprecation thrown in for good measure. As Senior Vice President of Programming and Head of Music Initiatives Michael Martin put it, “we were overthinking it.”
Connection to the local community was a common response. “Our connection to the communities we serve remains strong,” Kevan Kenney says. “COVID reminded us of the value of local, timely information and the personal connection between a familiar talent and the listener,” another response said, while another added “our audience is everything.” Additionally, radio provided a sense of familiarity and comfort with one respondent calling it “the mac ‘n cheese for the ears.”
“After years of being dismissed, radio was there for America once again,” RADIO.COM’s Jesse Addy said.
Another theme that emerged was the ability to create radio in a non-traditional setting. “You can do it from anywhere in the world if you have wifi,” RADIO.COM’s Rob Stone of the Rob + Holly Show wrote. “Radio isn't confined to a studio, it can be made anywhere... a bedroom, living room, closet or garage. Nothing can stop talent from connecting with music fans wherever they are,” another added.
Define 2020 in music in one word
This was a tricky one as all of our respondents had different feelings about music this past year. While there were a couple of overlaps, most respondents used different words to define the year in music. Because it’s no fun to read a list of words, we decided to create this word bubble below. Larger words were responses that occurred more frequently.
What 2020 musical trends do you see continuing into the future?
As we saw earlier, our programmers and on-air talent cited an assorted list of innovations the music world undertook in 2020. There’s likely a few of those that’ll be contained to 2020, but there are also a few new trends that will continue on into the future. The foundation for these trends were laid in 2020 and it’s likely they’ll evolve into something better than its current form.
One of the more common responses among the RADIO.COM staff was the blurring of traditional genre lines as musicians stepped out this year to break traditional molds. “Music will continue to be a sonic sputnik, going all directions at once. More and more music crossing boundaries making boundaries a thing of the past,” Michael Martin said.
Other responses cited “genre-busting collaborations like Diplo/Morgan Wallen and Marshmello/Kane Brown,” along with “R&B artists will continue to expand the genre by not being 'safe.’” Or you could go Kevan Kenney’s route and claim “Hyperpop will be the next mainstream wave and rock is once again cool.”
Another common 2020 trend RADIO.COM programmers and on-air talent see continuing on in the future is older songs becoming popular with new listeners through a medium like TikTok. “In the case of Fleetwood Mac, not only has their song 'Dreams' become a massive hit again, but much of the back library is now being used in commercials and soundtracks as a result,” one respondent shared. “The growing relationship between music and social music platforms such as TikTok & Triller and content creators."
Others predicted the connection artists made with their fans this year will not only continue on in the future, but thrive. “Even when we get back to live music and a closer connection with our favorite bands and artists, I hope musicians continue to use technology to connect with their fans in the ways they have this year,” Taryn Daly said.
So what have we learned today?
2020 was not a normal year, but music certainly helped bring a feeling of normalcy to the world. We can look back on the year and see a few common characteristics shared with years past. Excellent new releases, memorable concerts (even if they were virtual), a connection to our favorite artist, and a sense that music can be anything you want it to be. We all look forward to the day we can once again gather in concert halls and venues to take in live music in person. In the meantime, we'll see you online.
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