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Panel recap: “Genre is a Double-Edged Sword” at Music Biz 2025

There was a time when music had to fit into neat little boxes. Rock, pop, gospel, country—you pick. That’s how we found your music. But in 2025, with 77,000 new songs released per week and playlists for every mood, does genre still matter?Glad you asked. Here’s what we discussed.

Our session looked at how genre can help or hurt artists in today’s streaming world. Presented and moderated by Erin Moorman, Senior Director of Marketing at Syntax Creative, the panel included:

• Jamie Grace, Independent Artist and Producer
• Jordan Ferree, Senior Manager of Artist and Label Relations at Vevo
• Andee Connors, Head of Metal & Punk, Experimental & New Age Programming at Pandora
• Chaz Jenkins, Chief Commercial Officer at Chartmetric

Genre Used to Guide Us—Now It’s One of Many Tools

Chaz Jenkins started with data collected from Chartmetric. This data showed that there are hundreds of niche genres with only one artist creating that style of music — introducing the idea that there may be too many genres.

Still, niche genres aren’t going away.

Andee Connors of Pandora drew from his experience as the former owner of Aquarius Records to share how each of those unique genres can provide helpful information to the consumer. He shared that they found that the term ‘doom’ wasn’t enough to describe the music that fits in that genre. So they created a fun system where the ‘doomier’ the song sounded, the more Os they added to the word ‘doom.’ This small distinction helped customers find exactly what they were looking for.

Jordan Ferree of Vevo added that genre often helps shape the look of a music video. “We have access to more music than ever, which has collapsed borders, where genres like K-pop, Amapiano, and Reggaeton aren’t ‘world music’ anymore; they’re just music,” Ferree said. “Genre is important when it is visually or culturally encoded in the visuals, because it helps fans identify genres aligned with their aesthetic taste, not just sonic preferences.”

Niche Beats Broad

Independent artist Jamie Grace shared how many genres influence her music and how limiting it feels to stay in one box. Her music blends pop, gospel, and Southern sounds. Early in her career, that made marketing tough. But today, it’s an advantage.

Fans want something that feels personal, she said, and finding your niche means finding your people.

And that’s what all the panelists agreed on: being specific can help artists stand out. Even if the audience is smaller, it’s often more loyal.

So, What Now?

Genres are still useful. It helps curators know where to place your song. It helps fans know what to expect. But it’s not a cage—it’s a connection point.

“Many say we’re living in a ‘post-genre’ music industry,” said Moorman. “But we saw in this session why genre is a double-edged sword. To promote music well today, we need to think small and big. Genre isn’t dead—it’s evolving. It used to help people find the music. Now, it helps the music find the people.”

Whether you’re an artist, label, or fan—genre still plays a vital role. A role that just looks different.