NEAR TRUTHS:
CAMPAIGN SWINGS

NOT GOING BACK: Much of the chatter surrounding the next Grammys is focused on how foregrounded women are in the conversation and how likely it is that a handful of them—Taylor, Beyoncé, Billie, Chappell, Sabrina, Charli—will loom large in the top-tier nominations. This has a great deal to do with the cultural moment; much of the material earning big streams for these artists wrestles with ideas of identity, power, sexuality and self-determination precisely at the moment women are facing a massive political crossroads. With Kamala Harris possibly headed for the White House—and with Dobbs and the countless repressive laws passed in its wake fueling anger and activism—Grammy could find itself strongly reflecting currents much larger than music.

Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande and Olivia Rodrigo, too, helped blaze the present trail of female pop dominance (and certainly a number of male creative collaborators, notably FINNEAS, Dan Nigro, Jack Antonoff and Justin Tranter, have played vital roles).

At the music-biz level, though, it’s also worth noting how intensively female listeners are driving the streaming economy at present as pop rules the roost. Country and Latin, which have performed strongly in recent times, continue to figure prominently on the DSP charts, but it should be noted that country’s strength is predominantly on this side of the pond, while Latin’s key impact is in the U.S., Latin America and the Iberian peninsula. U.S. pop, however, continues to have truly global reach, and female fans worldwide keep it flying, with TikTok as a frequent accelerant.

MONEY, IT’S A GAS: There’s considerable chatter about an early Coachella announcement and on-sale this year in hopes that a few folks might want to put tix under the Christmas tree. Word from CAA is that this is its year for headliners. Who might they be? Could a rock act figure prominently in the mix?

Rock, which has a de minimis presence on the U.S. streaming charts, remains a potent force in Europe—note the disparity, for example, between domestic and international DSP activity on Linkin Park’s new track, which earned close to 40m global streams last week on Spotify—only 13% of which came from the U.S. The live side of rock, meanwhile, is as strong as ever around the world as festivals like Glastonbury, Rock im Park/Rock am Ring and Rock in Rio underscore, and Oasis should do colossal international business on tour in the decidedly male legacy-rock space.