August 15, 2022 If you were lost in the woods, whom would you ask for directions — an in-tune oboe player, an out-of-tune oboe player, or Santa Claus? A: The out-of-tune oboe player. The other two are hallucinations. It's Monday, so let’s get to it:
THE BIG IDEA Teens, TikTok, And Orchestral MusicTeens on TikTok are streaming orchestral music, and leading what’s some are calling a revival of the art form. During the worst of the COVID pandemic, musicians were forced off stage and online, where their creativity flourished. Over the last two years, in particular, TikTok, the favourite of the under-25 set, has become a pathway to discovering new music, and it turns out today’s Gen Z is coming to appreciate orchestral music more and more. Research by the UK’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and others has also shown a surge in interest in classical and orchestral music in general among people under 35, and even under 25. About a third of classical music streamers were 18 to 25 according to one survey, with double-digit growth over just a few short years. It only makes sense they’d be finding out about it on their favourite platform, TikTok. What is this TikTok, you ask?For the uninitiated, TikTok is a social media platform where users can upload short videos set to music. It has emerged as the platform of choice for people under 25, and is a close second to Instagram for those in the 25 to 34 group. According to the stats:
The growth spurt in orchestral music is due entirely to the ingenuity of TikTok creators, who have taken the medium and invented their own ways of enjoying music, including orchestral genres. It’s not your grandpa’s classical music, in other words, at least not all the time. There are videos of original music that have made internet stars out of artists playing at home. Musicians like Australian Portair have gone viral with videos that depict more than the music. Portair’s video playing an original composition called Gloaming Hour as the sun set outside his studio racked up more than 5.4 million views. Others create their own visuals to the library of classical music available on the platform. Challenges can draw in even more new music lovers. A classical music challenge on TikTok in 2021 drew in just under 740 million views. Even if the original music isn’t classical music, strictly speaking, orchestral arrangements have become one of the platform’s more popular genres. So popular is it, in fact, that Warner Classics and TikTok are releasing an album in August 2022 titled TikTok Classics – Memes & Viral Hits. It will feature 18 of the platform’s most popular tracks, given an orchestral treatment, and played by the Babelsberg Film Orchestra of Germany. The result is a combination of pop with a layer of lush orchestral work that brings out the classic harmonic and rhythmic structures underpinning the contemporary music. Singer-songwriter Alice Merton, whose track No Roots was rearranged and re-recorded for the project, commented in a media release. “It’s great to combine the worlds of classical music and pop music. Listening to No Roots in a new musical context is inspiring. I’m excited about the project, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it comes to life.” “Warner Classics is proud to be able to realize “TikTok Classics — memes and viral hits” together with the TikTok team. Arranged and produced to the highest standard, these songs known and loved by TikTok users, are presented in a different — orchestral — style. We want to showcase the possibilities, range and epic sound of a symphonic orchestra in a new context, encourage closer listening and share our passion for orchestral sound with the TikTok community” says Markus Petersen, SVP Global Operations & Business Development, Warner Classics. It’s not your grandmother’s classical music — but it may just be your teen’s. CHART OF THE WEEK It’s expensive to see a concert these days, but the Cleveland Orchestra has an innovative solution: Monthly subscriptions. The orchestra has developed a new subscription service called the TCO Members Club. For just $35 per month, members have access to $10 tickets to most of the season concerts. Of course, there are a few limitations, but it looks like a great deal. TUNING IN Classic FM’s Behemoth Audience Has Hit A Record LowAccording to stats released by RAJAR data, Classic FM has lost a record ~500K listeners since the start of the pandemic. The radio station’s audience has dropped to below 5 million, establishing a record 22-year low. The data, which was released in early August, pertains to the second quarter of 2022. From March 2022 to March 2023, Classic FM lost 191,000 listeners, plummeting to 4.97 million. The RAJAR website, which was established in 1992, has quarterly listening statistics dating back to 1999. The smallest audience for Classic FM in those 22 years. After posting record lows in three of the previous four quarters, there is a downward trend at Classic FM. The 5.48 million listeners Classic FM had prior to the pandemic in March 2020 have now decreased by 516,000. (Due to the pandemic, RAJAR did not provide quarterly data from March 2020 to September 2021.) Is this due to a decline in Classical Music listeners?
Source: Nielsen Audio RADAR 149, June 2021, publicly available via Radio Advertising Bureau. That flat growth ended in 2020 when it suddenly dropped by 6%. The culprit looks to be a combination of market factors:
Source: Edison Research and Triton Digital, “The Infinite Dial 2021.” STUDY Research Suggests Tinnitus Is Could Be A Major ProblemA new study published in the JAMA Neurology posted some staggering data about tinnitus, a persistent ringing in the ears affecting more than 740 million adults globally. The study presented a meta-analysis showing that 14.4% of adults will experience tinnitus during their lifetime. A smaller 2.3% subset will experience the severe form of the condition. The data also showed tinnitus has been rising from 10% of young adults to 14% of middle-aged adults and 24% of older adults. A lousy ring to it The research suggests that non-messenger RNA technology COVID-19 vaccines are a possible risk factor for tinnitus. In 2021, the Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency identified tinnitus as a possible adverse side effect of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccination. This finding prompted the World Health Organization to review reports of sudden hearing problems following COVID-19 vaccinations. Notably, the issue appears isolated to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. U.S. regulators found no tinnitus reported as a result of messenger RNA technology vaccines manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna. AROUND THE WEB 🎟️ Spotify launches a new concert ticket-selling platform ❤️Yannick Nezet-Seguin just celebrated his first anniversary (paper!) with his husband in Montréal. The pictures are lovely. Even the mayor was there. 🎻 A stolen 1769 Nicolò Gagliano violin was recovered after someone tried to hawk it for $200 in Berlin. 🤷♀️ Formerly banned opera star Anna Netrebko announced she will be returning to the stage next month in Vienna. 💥 The Lucerne Festival has sparked a debate about wokeness in classical music. 🐙 Aww look. An octopus. MEME OF THE WEEK How did you like today's email? |