The entertainment industry was almost decimated in 2020 and still remains percolating in the ashes of what it once was. While the year that Covid came was great for Netflix and the like, for the rest of the industry it was a pivot or die moment. The world still is in lockdowns as we head into 2021 and we all have to come to grips with the fact that in-person entertainment as it was is not currently an option. So where to go from here? What does the rest of the year hold for the entertainment industry?

Picture Credit: PixabayPicture Credit: Pixabay

On the ground

The complete shut down of large-scale (and even small- and medium- scale) entertainment events has obliterated an entire industry. However, those who can see opportunity in change have been starting to make the most of it.

Boutique entertainment

While bigger events are out of the question, for small gatherings of people, a socially distanced, boutique entertainment show can be an income generator for events companies. Catering to those with the wallets to afford it, private events are a new way forward.

Socially distanced events

While the UK is back under lockdown now, it’s not that long ago that they were holding socially distanced concerts from the likes of Supergrass and Chase and Status. In the US, drive-in concerts have had their own successes and failures. These types of events are likely to continue in 2021, although the format may be changed, tweaked, and rearranged to best conform to regulations as well as audience experience.

On the internet

Internet addiction reigns supreme. With more time in our days, sure, we’re doing more yoga and getting crafty in the kitchen, but also we’re more glued to our devices than ever. Here’s what’s in store for 2021 online.

Stream all the things

Netflix is BOOMING, booming. HBO Max is looking to stream blockbusters like Dune and Matrix 4 this year. New release movies are going straight to streaming. The Oscars will have to acknowledge that we might get a Best Picture from a streaming-only service.

And this speaks nothing of streaming concerts which have become a staple of our lives across lockdowns and the era of social distancing. While live music will never be the same when it’s direct to our small screens, the feeling of watching something live gives us those thrills that we’ve been lacking of late.

Game it up

2020 has been great for the gaming industry. Rising rates of mobile gaming. Online play and console sales rose significantly. Online gambling has seen a huge rise. Even live streaming concerts have been trending in the game world, with Grammy-award winning break out star Lil Nas X playing live in Roblox - a game that’s seriously popular among 8-18yr olds.

We’re likely to see this trend continuing out this year too. And hey, if you’re getting into online gambling in 2021 and want to get a leg up, NoDeposit365.com has experts so you don't need to be one.

The content creation explosion continues on TikTok

Plot twist! Platform shift! 2020 was the year of TikTok. Bored at home, we all headed into TikTok territory, made famous by under 18s shuffling around to the latest TikTok-ready beats but now a platform for everyone from home chefs to stay-at-home moms. Trump’s threat of a TikTok ban failed to materialize and we all breathed a collective sigh of relief so we could wipe off the mirror and keep dancing.

Clever artists have managed to capitalize on the wave of TikTok dances and videos, with Jason Derulo getting a second career wind in 2020 and becoming crowned the King of TikTok - a great body and clout backed by the Hype House doesn’t hurt either. And if you don’t know what that is, well it’s time to fall into an internet hole and get yourself an education.

Anyone with a smartphone and an idea now has the ability to go viral and get on the For You page. And with nothing but time on everyone’s hands, the content creation explosion will simply roll on in 2021.

On the ‘airwaves’

Trending music has had an interesting moment in 2020. What’s going to be the direction in 2021?

Style and influence

“I’d rather be dry but at least I’m alive!” The joy of shaking off our troubles in song in 2020 was encapsulated no more succinctly than in Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s smash, Rain on Me. The number one song of the year, Blinding Lights by The Weeknd, along with Dua Lipa’s string of hits, gave us 80s-drenched new pop perfection.

This is likely to continue to be the theme in 2021. The stock market crash of the 80s coincided with some of Depeche Mode’s finest music. While the world burns, we’ll escape in some pop-fuelled melancholic but hopeful synth (with a touch of disco flavor).

Crate-digging

To overcome new music exhaustion, we’ve taken the time to go (figurative) crate-digging of late, unearthing old classics from decades long gone - either forgotten or missed the first time around. With full back catalogs at our fingertips and Spotify, YouTube, and Soundcloud’s algorithms ever-improving, old tunes are getting a re-spin. Expect long-gone genres to come into the current music vernacular, as artists bring these back to the forefront in 2021.