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While 2023 witnessed a major shift in generative AI use as well as movie lovers flocking back to the theater, trends are continuing to evolve as the world pushes forward into another year. Though it’s not easy to predict what kind of trends, innovations or inventions the year will bring, business leaders across industries are doing their best to ensure their companies stay on top of “the latest and greatest” while maybe introducing a few new trends themselves.
In the culture space, industries such as fashion, art, media, music, tech and more are often leading the charge when it comes to changing preferences and setting trends. Here, seven business leaders in these spaces, and members of Rolling Stone Culture Council, offer up their best predictions for the trends of the coming year and the type of effect they think these trends will have on related businesses.
Credible Alternatives to the DSP Streaming Model
I predict that we will start to see significant attempts to create and launch credible alternatives to the Digital Service Provider (DSP) streaming model. What began as a brilliant “ease of use” model to extinguish piracy has now left us with a saturated, social-media-driven, lowest common denominator music marketplace that fails to compensate artists for this beautiful art form we all know and love: music. I think we will start to see artists, labels and even distributors consider direct-to-consumer platforms much like when filmmakers, movie producers and movie studios left Netflix for greener pastures. In short, as kids these days like to say, “The math ain’t mathing,” and somethings got to give. – Chuck Wilson, Babygrande Records
Multi-Sensory Experiences
There is no doubt in my mind that multi-sensory experiences will be highly significant and create ripple effects across all businesses. These experiences, which feature authentic and exclusive content, have been pushing the boundaries of wellness entertainment trends over the past few years, including what we now term “wellness tech.” This evolution is poised to profoundly impact businesses in various cultural sectors, fostering a more immersive, intelligent and healthy consumer landscape, with a commitment to prioritizing the concept of “we are humans first.” – Gen Cleary, Sound Connective
Artist-Fan Connections via Private Communities
As younger fans retreat from traditional social channels in favor of group chats and private communities, artists looking to engage their fans will follow suit. Instead of asking their fans to wade through the toxic noise of social media to hear about a new single or upcoming tour dates, artists are looking to create a more personal connection with fans via more community-driven platforms. – Mike Donoghue, Subtext
The Rolling Stone Culture Council is an invitation-only community for Influencers, Innovators and Creatives. Do I qualify?
Non-Alcoholic Beverages Sharing the Table With Alcohol
There are tons of reasons why someone may not be drinking, but good alternatives are for everyone. Think of those nights you’ve had enough to drink but want to keep the night going with food, friends and good drinks. We’re seeing more and more occasions where alcohol and non-alcohol live side by side, and restaurants need to rise to these occasions. – Charlie Friedmann, Proxies
Cannabis-Infused Beverages
Infused beverages are a growing trend in the market and are transforming social experiences in our culture. Cocktails are slowly becoming one of the many options among functional beverages and micro-dosed cannabis products. This trend will impact the overall destigmatization of the cannabis industry while also changing food and beverage spaces that rely on social drinking, such as bars and nightclubs. – Dan Serard, Cannabis Creative Group
Virtual-Reality-Based Mental Health Solutions
Mental health solutions will scale as prescription digital therapeutics (PDTs) receive public attention and insurance reimbursement. Artificial intelligence inside of virtual reality will create hyper-personalized experiences for education, therapy or simply companionship. There will be a gradual shift of perspective away from tech as evil, addictive and dehumanizing and toward tech that can actually help us become more human. – Lyle Maxson, GeniusX
The Convergence of Wellness, Tech and Environmentalism
This year will unveil “Eco-Bytes,” edible tech tattoos that monitor health metrics while nourishing the body. Merging wellness, tech and environmentalism, these biodegradable, nutrient-packed wearables reduce e-waste. Tech companies will ally with nutrition experts, redefining health monitoring and dietary supplements. – Arvin Khamseh, SOLDOUT NFTs
