Lucian Grange

The Evolution of Music and the Music Consumer

John Amato, Irving Azoff, Scooter Braun, Lucian Grange, Rob Light, Bob Pittman, Pascual Rotella

Industry leaders from Billboard, Universal Music Group, and iHeartMedia convened to declare a bullish outlook on the music sector, projecting streaming revenue to reach $72 billion within a decade while live performance supplants recorded sales as the primary income source. The panel highlighted a strategic pivot toward mobile-first connectivity and global expansion, noting that dance music festivals now draw crowds of 400,000 and that brands are increasingly redirecting marketing spend from sports to music. Despite debates over the future relevance of terrestrial radio for Gen Z, participants agreed that a hybrid ecosystem combining local cultural adaptation with digital immediacy will drive the industry's transition into a multimedia branding business.