Spring Has Sprung in the Music Industry
This spring, some of the biggest pop artists in the world are releasing their long-awaited albums. Photo via BRRT via Pixabay
Spring is in full bloom for pop music fans in 2024. Ariana Grande released “eternal sunshine,” her seventh studio album, on March 8; Beyoncé released “COWBOY CARTER,” her much-anticipated country music album, on March 29; and Taylor Swift will release her new album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” on April 19.
While the buzz about the season is relatively unenthusiastic on social media, Billboard Music did release an article in early March about the phenomenon, saying that “after women took home all of the Big Four Grammy Awards in February…they will continue to dominate the release calendar in March and beyond.” Numerically, this spring is nothing special; however, the magnitude of the artists that are releasing albums is worth noting.
Relative to other years, this spring isn’t special when it comes to the volume of albums released. No record label has reported on any actual or projected quarterly gains as a result of a significant increase in albums released. Springtime has always been a popular season to release music; a music fan compiled Wikipedia data to visualize the most popular album release months and days, demonstrating that March has historically been an early-year peak, and the rest of the spring season generally maintains high numbers.
What’s significant about this year is how popular the artists releasing albums are — especially since album cycles have slowed, with modern pop artists taking around two or three years in between albums. Ariana Grande, most notably, took four years after her last album, “Positions,” to release “eternal sunshine.”
An industry development that may explain why pop artists are releasing music now, especially with the artists that have taken longer hiatuses, is the industry’s increased focus on “superfans.” For the past few months, the word “superfan” has been the buzzword of choice in the music industry. In early January 2024, Lucian Grainge, the CEO of Universal Music Group, told his employees that the next focus in the record label’s strategy would be “superfan experiences.”
A superfan will “willingly invest considerable time and financial resources” into showing their support for their favorite artist, according to Reprtoir. In the post-Taylor Swift music industry, identifying and sustaining a dedicated fan community is the current focus of artists and record labels. This spring marks the second quarter that the industry will operate to capture the “superfan,” and with the temperatures getting warmer, it makes no surprise that major touring artists are releasing albums this time of year.
These albums are platforms for artists and labels to construct “superfan” experiences, whether this comes in the form of tours, meet-and-greets or even digital, interactive experiences à la Fortnite concert or Roblox server — Sony Music, for instance, has demonstrated its enthusiasm for video games as marketing materials. As a result, artists may feel reinvigorated by an industry focused on cultivating the relationship between them and their fans.
A list of some artists that have released or will be releasing music this season, starting on March 1, includes the following:
Faye Webster with Underdressed at the Symphony, on March 1; three years between this and her last album.
Schoolboy Q with Blue Lips on March 1; five years between this and his last album.
Ariana Grande with eternal sunshine on March 8; four years between this and her last album.
Justin Timberlake with Everything I Thought It Was on March 15; six years between this and his last album.
Adrienne Lenker with Bright Future on March 22; four years between this and her last album.
Metro Boomin & Future with We Don’t Trust You on March 22; two years between this and both of their last albums.
Shakira with Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran on March 22; seven years between this and her last album.
Beyonce with COWBOY CARTER on March 29; two years between this and her last album.
Lizzy McAlpine with Older on April 5; two years between this and her last album.
Vampire Weekend with Only God Was Above Us on April 5; five years between this and their last album.
Girl in Red with I’m Doing It Again Baby! On April 12; three years between this and her last album.
Maggie Rogers with Don’t Forget Me on April 12; two years between this and her last album.
Taylor Swift with The Tortured Poets Department on April 19; two years between this and her last album.
Dua Lipa with Radical Optimism on May 3; four years between this and her last album.
Billie Eilish with Hit Me Hard and Soft on May 17; three years between this and her last album.
Charli XCX with Brat on June 7; two years between this and her last album.
The artists that are releasing albums after longer breaks may be related to the focus on “superfans,” but, if nothing else, spring 2024 is looking to be a season in full bloom for music fans.