It’s no secret that the music industry is in an alarming place right now, rife with uncertainty amidst the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. With many turning to self-isolation as a means of flattening the curve, some believed that streaming numbers would benefit from a boost in numbers. Yet a new report from Quartz has assembled new data suggesting otherwise; in fact, Spotify believes that the isolation process is the reason for the decline, especially when it comes to the more popular songs of the month. 

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The article cites numbers from Italy — who continues to suffer the devastating impact of the Coronavirus– as the main source of analysis. Highlighting numbers from roughly one year ago, in which the average daily streams totaled to an approximated 18.3 million, the study compares them with those gathered from a post-Quarantined Italy. According to their findings, the streams have failed to surpass 14.4 million since the lockdown was enacted on March 9th.

While it does present enough comparable information to add credence to the hypothesis, the study also notes that overall listenership could indeed be stable, with people turning to tried and true favorites in this time of crisis. It might also have to do with reticence on the side of the artist, who might not be entirely willing to release a new album in such a tumultuous period; I suppose we can wait and see what happens with ‘s After Hours, if he indeed decides to go through its release as planned. And who knows — perhaps as more artists begin to self-isolate, we’ll see a baby-boomish influx in new music. Expect a fruitful period whenever humanity comes through and conquers this thing. Be safe everybody. 

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