In my May 2019 editorial, I wrote the following: “Are you familiar with Billie Eilish? If not, don’t feel too bad. While millions of high-schoolers consider the singer/ songwriter to be amongst the most significant artists of their lifetimes, many (most?) over the age of 25 have never heard of her.”
Cut to February 2020 and there are now very few, indeed, who haven’t at least heard of Billie Eilish. Winning five Grammy Awards (she was nominated for six), including the “Big Four” – Best New Artist, Best Album, Best Record, and Song of the Year – does that. There’s lots to unpack about Eilish and her success (that Editorial last year focused on how her breakthrough album was recorded and how she “broke” without traditional PR or label support), but what she perhaps embodies more than anything is the speed at which musical and cultural shifts can take place – and how essential it is for those in MI to pay close attention. Menzie Pittman’s “Small Business Matters” column in this issue also discusses Billie Eilish, her brother and musical partner FINNEAS, and the importance of keeping one’s ear to the ground. As he concludes, “The takeaway here is simple. If you are in retail or education, listen to the youth.”
Instead of ringing hands, wondering when the next artist will come along that matches a familiar paradigm from the past and will boost instrument and musical gear sales in a similar fashion, there is – happily – quite a lot for MI dealers to feel optimistic about when considering younger artists today. Camila Cabello, Flipp Dinero, Normani, Blueface, Lewis Capaldi, Kodak Black, Sheck Wes, Khalid, Shawn Mendes, YNW Melly, Polo G, Lil Nas X, Lil Tecca, and Billie Eilish all scored Top-20 Billboard singles in 2019 – each of these individuals 23 years old or younger.
True, other than Mendes, most of these musicians aren’t guitar-playing pop/ folk/rock artists that resemble the acts which largely drove MI retail from the ‘60s onward, but that doesn’t mean they have no bearing on potential sales. With the decline of the record industry (maybe you’ve heard?), touring is the bread-and-butter for most acts and when many of the musicians listed above – whether they’re R&B, pop, hip-hop, or whatever else – go on tour, they hit the road with a band playing actual instruments. Passionate younger fans with an inclination towards music performance, themselves, take note of this.
“Listen to the youth,” indeed.
