“Artists and groups are navigating uncharted waters, offering discounts on merch to try to generate scrape-by revenue, hosting Zoom shows, and going Instagram live with other artists. Many are asking themselves: should I hold off on releasing until this is all over? Just because the whole world has hit pause, we don’t necessarily believe it’s smart for artists and bands to do the same.”

“It’s not even that she’s writing about really dark and twisted things — she’s allowing her young audience to go to this dark place with her and feel okay about being there.”

“Playlists have evolved from a music lover’s pastime to an essential area of attention for all artists & groups in 2020. 

Some have even posited in recent years that they are the “new radio,” though their function is different and the strategy to secure them is more elusive. Some fear that they are changing the very way we write songs and that playlists are destroying the album format.

But how did we get here?”