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Are You Ready For The Roaring 2020s? Lewis Capaldi Rex Orange County Calboy EDEN and more ISSUE NO. 65 DECEMBER 2019/ JANUARY 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 EYE OF THE STORM Are You Ready For The Roaring 2020s? 7 STORM TRACKER J Balvin, HAIM, Kehlani, Shawn Mendes 8 STORM FORECAST Tis The Season, The End of an Era, Streaming Wars, and more 9 STORM WARNING Our signature countdown of 20 buzzworthy bands and artists on our radar. On the Cover: Tones and I, photo by Giulia McGauran ©2019 ABOUT A LETTER THE STORM FROM THE REPORT EDITOR STORM = STRATEGIC TRACKING OF RELEVANT MEDIA As it is the end of the year - and the end of the decade - we focused our final issue of The STORM Report for 2019 on a look forward The STORM Report is a compilation of up-and-coming bands and artists to what may very likely be another "Roaring who are worth watching. Only those showing the most promising '20s." Considering the rapid advancements potential for future commercial success make it onto our monthly list. in technology over the past decade, the potential for the 2020s is incredibly exciting. How do we know? Will autonomous vehicles become standard and available? Will humans set foot on Mars? Through correspondence with industry insiders and our own ravenous Will we finally get hover boards? Who will media consumption, we spend our month gathering names of artists win the streaming entertainment wars? The who are “bubbling under”. We then extensively vet this information, possibilities are truly only bound by the limits analyzing an artist’s print & digital media coverage, social media growth, of our imagination. Thanks to everyone for sales chart statistics, and various other checks and balances to ensure reading The STORM Report this year. It was that our list represents the cream of the crop. truly an amazing year for music - particularly international music - and we are excited for Why do we do it? what is to come. Happy Holidays! Happy New Year! See you in the next decade! Music is the best way to sell products because it creates such a powerful emotional connection with an audience. The STORM Report provides Best, our clients with a tool to harness the music that will be the most relevant to audiences in the near future, thereby becoming very useful for the enhancement of products, promotions, and platforms. Jennifer Sullivan President, memBrain Editor-in-Chief, The STORM Report STORM ALUMNI STORM STAFF Jennifer Sullivan Editor-in-Chief Maya Maniktala, Cassandra Luong Assistant Editors Jennifer Sullivan FATHER Writer/Research Esther Lee, Brian Furano BEBE JOHN BEA Contributing Research REXHA MISTY MILLER Robert Roxby STORM 16 STORM 25 STORM 32 Designer THE STORM REPORT Issue No. 65 December 2019 / January 2020 3 EYE OF THE Are You Ready For STORM The Roaring 2020s? By Jennifer Sullivan Illustration by Jamie Cullen indsight is 20/20, but predicting the future is far more Dictionary.com’s choice for the “Word of the Year” for 2019 difficult. As we reflect on 2019 and look forward to the was “Existential”—as in “existential crisis.” According to the year ahead, we have taken on the challenge of making site, people were concerned with the nature of human existence Hsome predictions for what to expect in 2020. this year. It captures a sense of grappling with the survival— literally and figuratively—of our planet, our loved ones, our 2019 was what can only be described as a transformational ways of life. Dictionary.com went on to say that the word may year for Earth, for better or worse. The planet seemed to be also be viewed as positive as it “inspires us to ask big questions simultaneously on fire and under water. Xenophobia, racism, about who we are and what our purpose is in the face of our homophobia, and misogyny catalyzed violence of unprecedented various challenges – and it reminds us that we can make choices magnitudes in the form of bombings, shootings, and more. about our lives in how we answer those questions.” Technology continued to change the rules of engagement for retailers, manufacturers, and consumers alike. And we And so while 2019 was filled with uncertainty, 2020 may be our increasingly found ourselves grappling with discerning the opportunity to find meaning in it all. To answer the question, truth from fiction in increasingly fragmented and unregulated “Who am I?” And even more importantly, “Why am I?” It media landscape. is doubtful that we are going to be able to discern the true 4 THE STORM REPORT Issue No. 65 December 2019 / January 2020 meaning of life, but we (individuals, Daryl Plammer, AI, virtual reality, and Just in the past few years, we’ve businesses, organizations, etc.) are other new technologies will triple the seen massive growth of mobile-first poised to need to have meaning and number of people with disabilities content, such as original series built purpose in our lives. employed by 2023—leading to a brand for Snapchat, new formats as Stories on new workforce. He also predicts that both Instagram and Snapchat, as well as Much of our focus over the past nearly this will lead to even more good news a slew of social video shows designed to 10 years of publishing The STORM for companies that employ people with be consumed in news feeds on mobile Report has been on entertainment and disabilities. They’ll experience goodwill, devices. technology—and so it seems fitting as well as higher retention rates, more that this “Eye of the STORM” article productivity, and increased profitability. At the same time, mobile gaming— explores some highlights for what to thanks to titles like Fortnite—has expect in technology and entertainment This trend is also consistent with the continued to expand its demographics in 2020. democratization of technology trend and share of media time. that began decades ago when Apple HUMAN PERFORMANCE ENHANCED introduced the Macintosh for the rest In the coming months, we’ll see a flood WITH TECHNOLOGY of us, that is, with a user-computer of more mobile-born content, including interface that was “intuitive.” Quibi, a short-form video app launched Technology is undeniably reshaping by former DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey how we spend our time at and away Voice-activated digital assistants Katzenberg, which has already raised from work. As a result, the devices that continue to gather momentum largely several billion dollars. consumers use are changing rapidly— through rapidly advancing shipments as are their preferences. of smart speakers. CTA found there are It’s also possible that we’ll see more currently 70 million smart speakers mobile content from wireless companies And while dystopian science fiction may installed in homes across America, trying to gain an early foothold in suggest that we are headed towards according to its 21st Annual Consumer 5G. For instance, it’s conceivable that a war with the robots taking over, it Technology Ownership and Market AT&T, which recently spent $85 billion does seem that trends are pointing to Potential Study. to acquire Time Warner, will lean on its technology enhancing humans, not deep roster of entertainment and sports replacing them. It is true that 2019 saw Today, we have user-friendly and networks to create 5G-driven content as a fair amount of controversy around affordable access to biometric data a means to drive subscriptions. Artificial Intelligence. How many jobs and AI in the form of fitness trackers, should we expect to see replaced? How voice assistants, insights and analytics, As 5G takes hold, it should only unlock many new jobs will this technology training platforms, and more. Having more consumption, more investment truly create? more control and insight into our reality and new content genres. Theoretically, and leveraging technology as part of consumers will be able to watch high- Mark Jeffries, author and former Fox improving ourselves may be a key part quality video on a multitude of devices— and NBC anchor, suggests that 2020 to solving our current existential crisis. whenever and wherever they want. will be a year when people talk more about the concept of “Augmentation” The hope is that as we learn how to make STREAMING REDEFINES rather than “Automation.” He’s hopeful better use of technology to increase ENTERTAINMENT that, in 2020, the debate will shape up productivity, our vision for a better to optimize around what technology humanity will also improve. In just a few years, we’ve gone from an can do with humans rather than internet where most content was “free” without them. This trend is confirmed THE 5G CONTENT REVOLUTION to one where tens of millions of people by Gartner Analyst Svetlana Sicular, pay for subscription content services. who predicts that, in just five years, The Consumer Technology Association Streaming technology, coupled with the 40% of companies will shift their focus (CTA) predicts that sales of 5G handsets massive growth of smartphones and from designing tools for humans to will take off in 2020, with 20M units smart TVs, has completely reshaped designing humans for augmentation shipping to U.S. dealers. The new ultra- entertainment. technology. fast speeds in the next generation of wireless devices will likely drive a surge In the U.S., consumers are projected to Human augmentation also has the in mobile content of all types—audio, spend $32.3 million on music and video potential to make the world a lot more video, gaming and more. streaming services in 2020, versus accessible. According to Gartner Analyst just $7.3 million in 2015. CTA expects THE STORM REPORT Issue No. 65 December 2019 / January 2020 5 consumers to have spent $8.4 billion on and easy to access AR overlaid directly see an uptick in “sharing” of copyrighted music streaming services alone in 2019.