The Biggest Music News Stories of 2020

For a minute there it almost looked like the music industry was coming to a halt. All live music events were cancelled. There were hundreds of layoffs from major companies such as Endeavor, Condé Nast and AEG. Multiple lives, including those of John Prine and Adam Schlesinger, were lost to the pandemic. On top of COVID-19, the music world expressed solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, while #MeToo remained prominent following accusations made against Burger Records and Doomtree affiliates. Since everyone has had it with describing this tumultuous year, let’s just take a look back at the most “2020” stories of 2020.

12. TikTok Enters Battle With Trump Administration

The popular video-sharing platform TikTok was nearly banned from the United States following an executive order from the Trump administration. While TikTok sued the administration over due process violation, the formerly Chinese-owned company ultimately succumbed to Trump’s demands and was purchased by Oracle, an American company.

– Aaron Grech

11. Kanye West Runs for President

Kanye West’s presidential campaign was marred by chaos, as the artist suffered an apparent meltdown during the campaign trail, while getting kicked off number of state ballots. In the end, West only landed on 12 state ballots, where he gained around 60,000 votes before conceding the election on November 3. Although the campaign was a massive failure, West reportedly spent $3 million to help fund it in September.

– Aaron Grech

10. Expect the Unexpected: Mr. Bungle Re-Records Rare Demo The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny as First “New” Album in 21 Years

When Mr. Bungle reunited for shows last year, joined by metal legends Scott Ian and Dave Lombardo, fans were clambering for new music. Well, that’s exactly what they got—sort of. Instead of recording new material, they re-recorded the prescient thrash metal demo The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny, which constitutes the band’s first new music in 21 years. While the band became known for their eclectic alternative rock and metal sound on later albums, TRWOTEB shows off the band member’s metal roots, with Lombardo and Ian making for the perfect foil to Mike Patton, Trey Spruance and Trevor Dunn. The results were so impressive that the album wound up on our Top 50 Best Albums of 2020 list at 13.

– Matt Matasci

9. Minneapolis Alternative Hip-Hop Scene Faces Reckoning After Accusations of Abuse

What began early this summer as social-media-based rumblings of alleged misconduct by some members of the influential hip-hop scene in Minneapolis, MN, resulted in some tumultuous weeks for artists affiliated with the scene’s labels. The alleged issues were not limited to Doomtree, although the collective was the center of the biggest story to emerge when Dessa posted an emotional video on social media in which she essentially bled out her heart after learning of the accusations leveled against some of her closest collaborators, most specifically Doomtree member P.O.S. Rhymesayers, the influential Minneapolis label co-founded by members of Atmosphere, dropped artists Prof and Dem Atlas following accusations of misconduct, while Astronautalis, an artist closely affiliated with Doomtree, admitted to the abuse accusations leveled against him and apologized.

– Matt Matasci

8. Spotify CEO Lambasted By Musicians 

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek set off a fuse when he said artists not getting paid enough royalties on the platform was a “narrative fallacy,” which led to wave of condemnation across the music industry. Neko Case, Fucked Up and Massive Attack all criticized Ek, while Sumac removed their latest album in response to his comments. A music industry union has since launched “Justice at Spotify” initiative to demand better royalty rates.

– Aaron Grech

Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna

7. Musicians Contribute to a Rising National Awareness of the Black Lives Matter Movement

Following the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Elijah McClain and countless others, the entire country began protesting, and the Black Lives Matter movement came to the forefront of the news cycle. Many artists, including Kendrick Lamar, Halsey, Fiona Apple and J. Cole took to the streets to join protests. Following the mass protests, in which Black Americans called out systemic racism, many record labels called for an industry-wide blackout on Blackout Tuesday, in which people were meant to focus more on the protests and mourn those whose lives were lost due to police brutality. Many record labels, including Warner, Sony and Universal, offered to donate several million dollars to various funds to support the Black Lives Matter movement and disenfranchised Black Americans. BMG announced during the protests that they would be conducting study to see if their Black artists had been paid less during contracts, with the study concluding in December that royalty payments for Black artists had been 3.4 percent lower than their non-Black counterparts.

– Ariel King

6. Burger Records Shutdown After Allegations of Sexual Misconduct

Several prominent artists affiliated with Burger Records such as The Growlers, SWMRS drummer Joey Armstrong and The Buttertones were accused of alleged sexual misconduct, amidst further accusations of toxic atmosphere within the label itself. While the label apologized and admitted to “perpetuating a culture of toxic masculinity,” their effort to restructure the company failed, forcing Burger Records to ultimately shutdown. A number of female artists have since reacted to its shutdown and expressed solidarity with the alleged assault victims.

– Aaron Grech

Photo Credit: Boston Lynn Schulz

5. Non-Socially Distanced Events in the Middle of a Pandemic

Despite the pandemic shutting down nearly all live events, several artists continued to perform live events. While many of these live shows have managed to be socially distanced, either at outdoor venues, or as drive-in shows where festival goers are asked to stay in their vehicles, some performances have seen a lack of social distancing. The Chainsmokers performed concert in the Hamptons over the summer that was initially supposed to be a socially distanced drive in, with Governor Andrew Cuomo fining promoters $20,000 for public health law violations following the performance due to concert-goers lack of social distancing. Hwy 30 held their music festival in Idaho this year, however festival organizer Gordy Shroeder stated that they provided attendees with free face masks and gloves. Country musician Chase Rice held show in Tennessee, in which 800 unmasked fans attended. Smash Mouth and Trapt performed at the 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in August, in which an estimated 250,000 attendees attended the 10-day event. The Motorcycle Rally was eventually linked to over 100 new cases of COVID-19.

– Ariel King

4. COVID Deaths Amongst Musicians

COVID-19 has seen 336,000 deaths in the United States, and counting. Among those who passed away due to the coronavirus have been several beloved musicians, including folk singer John Prine, Afro-Funk pioneer Manu Dibango, ambient musician Harold Budd, jazz artist Ellis Marsalis, Paul “Ganxsta Ridd” Devoux, Memphis blues musician Rev. John Wilkins, Tommy DeVito, Dave Greenfield, producer and musical director Hal Willner and Fountains of Wayne co-founder Adam Schlesinger. The United States currently has over 19 million cases of COVID-19, with more expected due to gatherings during the holidays.

– Ariel King

3. Eddie Van Halen Dies At Age 65

Another very influential and groundbreaking artist was taken from the music world this year. Eddie Van Halen passed after several years of battling cancer. Eddie Van Halen was the lead guitarist for his band that was named after him and his brother Alex Van Halen, who contributed drums. They started the band in 1972 in Pasadena, California. Their debut album was the start of it all for many bands and musicians to come in the hard rock and heavy metal genre. Van Halen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. After Eddie Van Halen’s death, several artists from different genres took to their social media pages to pay tribute to the guitarist. Musicians like John Mayer, Pete Townsend, Tom Morello and many more reacted to his death. A musician like Eddie Van Halen will forever be remembered and his legacy will carry throughout music for decades to come.

– Krista Marple

2. Music Industry Contracts Significantly With Layoffs and Business Closures Following COVID-19 Pandemic 

After just a few days of the pandemic hitting the United States, it became clear the music industry would suffer. Even in the first few weeks, there was a fallout from cancelled and postponed events, such as Paradigm Talent Agency cutting payroll and laying off almost 100 employees and SXSW laying off third of their year-round employees after the festival was cancelled. Other music-related organizations like Los Angeles NPR affiliate KCRW, Conde Naste (publishers of Pitchfork, Vanity Fair), William Morris Agency’s owner Endeavor, AEG and more significantly shed employees over just few short months. Promoters like Live Nation cut staff while smaller promoters like Texas’s influential Margin Walker closed completely. Outside of the live music industry, the recording industry also faced losses during the pandemic. While streaming didn’t suffer overall, revenue for the big-three labels like Sony, Warner Music Group and Universal Music took hit. Independent venues faced an even more uncertain future, though hopefully the recently approved stimulus bill that includes funding for Save Our Stages will provide a necessary boost through the pandemic.

1. COVID-19 Pandemic Shuts Down Live Event Industry

Earlier this year, the coronavirus broke out and spread over 100 countries across the world, which then put a halt to normal, everyday life. As a result of the outbreak, events that consisted of large gatherings were canceled or postponed. More specifically, live concerts and festivals were forced to adjust their 2020 plans or postpone them to the following year. Festivals like Ultra Music Festival Miami, SXSW and Big Ears all decided to completely cancel their events where Coachella tried to postpone until later into 2020. Unfortunately, large gatherings were still not permitted by the rescheduled date so they then started to plan for October of next year. While event planners remain hopeful, healthcare experts are predicting that these large live events will not be able to take place until fall of 2021 at the earliest. Since musicians haven’t been able to hold normal live concerts for most of this last year, they have gotten creative and found ways to still keep their fans engaged and perform new music virtually.

– Krista Marple