by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Here it is, the annual music predictions column, easily the most popular blog entry of the year, and for good reason – who doesn’t want to know what will happen before it happens? Ah, but only one person in the Omaha music scene is gifted with that knowledge (even if his predictions last year were kinda stink-o). 

So, before I gaze into my mystical crystal Fender Squire, let’s take a look at last year’s predictions:

2024 Prediction: With criminally low streaming royalties making musicians’ lives unsustainable, musicians will finally organize to force streamers to pay up. 

Reality: As always, lots of musicians complained about Spotify royalties, but none took action. 

Prediction:  Musicians also will take a unionized approach toward live music, resulting in better income streams for touring indie artists.

Reality: Lots of musicians complained about rising touring costs (and cancelled tours for financial reasons), but, again, no action was taken.

Prediction: Musicians will come up with innovative ways to package merch to increase revenue. Leveraging the collectors’ market, bands (and labels) will start packaging T-shirts and other non-music-related items with their vinyl releases. 

Reality: One nod to the collectors’ market — producing “vinyl variants” of the same record with different album covers or colored vinyl — was a hot seller (I’m looking at you, Tay-Tay). So much so that Billie Eilish publicly criticized the practice.

Prediction: To draw larger audiences to the Maha Music Festival’s new Riverfront concert space, the festival will aggressively stray from its traditional indie-focused line-up.

Reality: Maha didn’t even happen in 2024; but it’ll be back in ’25 for a big one-day festival that’s being marketed as a “merger” with Outlandia Festival.

Prediction: Not to be outdone by Maha, Outlandia will continue to become bigger and better, expanding to a three-day festival.

Reality: For its final year, Outlandia stayed the course as a two-day festival. 

Prediction: With the loss of The Reader (and the inevitable shuttering of the Omaha World-Herald), a new publication will emerge in ’24 focused on art, entertainment and dining, and will even include a (very limited) print edition. 

Reality: No new print publications launched; however, the music-focused Omaha Buzz started this past year, helmed by Homer’s Records manager MarQ Manner. The Substack site already has more than 1,000 subscribers. Also, watch for the return of The Reader (online) in 2025…

Prediction: The Astro Theater will battle head-to-head with Steelhouse Omaha for the exact same music-loving audience. Is this town big enough for both of them?

Reality: So far, it is, though there were rumors the venues’ separate promotion companies (Live Nation for Steelhouse, 1% and Mammoth for The Astro) actively bid against each other for shows.

Prediction: As if we didn’t already have enough music venues, next year watch for an announcement of the creation of a brand new high-dollar music venue to be located in the heart of Omaha, catering to a youth market.  

Reality: Not yet…

Prediction: An entrepreneur will team with an out-of-town company to open a new jazz-focused music venue that will act as an extension of Kansas City’s successful jazz scene. 

Reality: Not yet, though The Jewell reopened under new management.

Prediction: Is there a merger in Saddle Creek Records’ future?

Reality: Not yet…

Prediction:  Following the current trend, the number of local indie-rock bands will sadly continue to decline. Watch as metal and hardcore bands fill the void. 

Reality: As highlighted in the 2024 Music Year in Review, local indie bands continued to flourish in number; so did metal bands.

Prediction: A number of new female singer/songwriters will emerge from our scene to receive national attention. 

Reality: Instead we got the first Omaha Girls Rock band to stand on its own: UN-T.I.L. 

Prediction: Other performers we’ll be talking about this time next year:  Low, David Nance, HAIM, Spoon, Alvvays, Desaparecidos, The Faint, Wet Leg, Talking Heads, Waxahatchee, Vampire Weekend, Neva Dinova, The Strokes, Interpol and Cactus Nerve Thang. 

Reality: We got new albums by Nance, Waxahatchee, Vampire Weekend and Neva Dinova. Talking Heads reunited (but didn’t perform), Saddle Creek reissued The Faint’s Doom Abuse LP, and Low’s Alan Sparhawk began performing again after the passing of his wife and bandmate, Mimi Parker, in 2022. 

Prediction: We’ll find out whatever happened to Eric Clapton.

Reality: “God” is still alive and kicking.

Prediction: A local music journalist will finally begin writing his long-awaited history of the Omaha music scene circa 1993-present.

Reality: Author Emma Kemp is wrapping up a biography of Conor Oberst that she began writing back in 2017. As for the more inclusive, all-encompassing history of Omaha music, the wheels are turning oh so slowly…

Prediction: Conor Oberst won’t appear on Saturday Night Live but will appear on another prime-time TV show — masked or unmasked….

Reality: Conor didn’t appear on The Masked Singer, but if he’s lucky, he’ll have his shot in 2025…

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So, giving myself much leeway, I was 7 for 16 – uh, not good. Let’s see if I can do better in 2025:

2025 Prediction: With singing competition shows like American Idol, The Voice and The Masked Singer reaping high ratings — and last year’s Grammy Awards viewership up 34% — a cultural icon will return to the airwaves: American Bandstand. The new program will feature performances by hot recording artists as well as TikTok and Youtube phenoms. What we really need is the return of Burt Sugarman’s Midnight Special…

Prediction: Time is running out for TikTok… or is it? Congress passed a law to effectively ban the online video service that’s become a launching pad for homegrown performers and pop stars. But even if the ban does go into effect Jan. 19, TikTok will survive, thanks either to Presidential decree or Supreme Court action. 

Prediction: The incoming Trump/Musk Administration will (once again) attempt to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities and this time will succeed. As a result, private nonprofit arts organizations will step up to try to fill the funding gaps. One outcome will be the creation of a new nonprofit organization who’s mission will be to support musicians, similar to the Canada Music Fund. 

Prediction: One of Omaha’s primary live music venues will be sold and will go under new management in 2025, further impacting access to touring indie bands.

Prediction: The popularity of the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” — along with actions by the Trump Administration — will generate new interest in folk / protest music, ultimately resulting in a Neu-Folk Movement.

Prediction: Unlike the Urban Cowboy Movement that swept the U.S. in the early ‘80s leading to a boom in pop-country music, the current “Country Wave” that spawned Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter will be short-lived nationally. Ah, but here in Omaha, which is always three steps behind national trends, the country music revival is just getting started. Country bars like Bushwackers and Guitars & Cadillacs will be red hot — at least for a year — before people put away their cowboy hats. Can a Swing Revival be far behind?

Prediction: With small-town Omaha returning to its “flyover country” status as far as national touring indie bands are concerned, nearby big cities Minneapolis, Kansas City, Chicago and Denver will begin to actively cater to Omaha music fans by offering concert-and-lodging packages and dedicated websites that provide tips for out-of-town show goers. 

Prediction: The new, one-day Maha Music Festival, slated for Aug. 2 at RiverFront Park in downtown Omaha, will maintain its indie music focus but will also incorporate a national pop-country artist in its line-up. Also, look for a third “locals only” stage that will highlight up-and-coming local artists as well as legacy Omaha bands. 

Prediction: Bandcamp will go out of business in 2025 following its acquisition by B2B music platform Songtradr and constant declines in online music downloading revenues. Attempting to take Bandcamp’s place will be Subvert, a new artist-owned music downloading platform that will be operated like an artist coop.

Prediction: A sort-of holdover from last year’s predictions: Another new music venue will be announced later this year, to be located in the heart of Omaha. The all-ages venue will cater to the youth market, but unlike other DIY all-ages spaces, it will have proper funding and a long-term management structure in place.  

Prediction: Someone will pick up the banner of fallen nonprofit organization Omaha Girls Rock!, which ended its current programming Dec. 15. The reinvented OGR! program will maintain its underlying mission of empowering youth through music education — something that’s too important to let fade away. 

Prediction: No world-famous rock star will leave us in 2025. Hurray!

Prediction: The long-sought-after reunion of The Smiths will finally happen next year thanks to an enormous pay day. They’re not the only ones reuniting. Look for reunions (if only for one night) by R.E.M., The Police and Talking Heads.

Prediction: Other performers we’ll be talking about this time next year: Car Seat Headrest, Big Thief, Interpol, U2, Phoebe Bridgers, The Faint, Courtney Barnett, Pavement, The Cure, Spoon, Nine Inch Nails, Wet Leg, Criteria, Lana Del Rey, So-So Sailors, The Dirts and Little Brazil.

Prediction: Finally, forget SNL, it ain’t happening. Instead, a number of local bands will make network TV appearances next year, including David Nance and Mowed Sound and good ol’ Bright Eyes. 

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Hey, if you own a CD player and would like a copy of the Lazy-i Best of 2024 complication CD, drop me an email. They’re free, while supplies last. All you have to do is send your mailing address to tim.mcmahan@gmail.com. 

Here’s the track list:

1. Cindy Lee, “Diamond Jublilee,” from the album Diamond Jubilee (Realistik) 
2. Sasami, “The Seed,” from the album Blood on the Silver Screen (Domino)
3. Kylie V, “Lucky Streak,” from the album Crash Test Plane (Royal Mountain)
4. Adrianne Lenker, “Sadness as a Gift,” from the album Bright Future (4AD)
5. MJ Lenderman, “”She’s Leaving You,” from the album Manning Fireworks (-Anti)
6. Neva Dinova, “One More Mile,” from the album Canary (Saddle Creek)
7. David Nance and Mowed Sound, “Credit Line,” from the self-titled album (Third Man)
8. Rosali, “Rewind,” from the album Bite Down (Merge)
9. Cola, “Pulling Quotes,” from the album The Gloss (Fire Talk)
10. Cursive, “Dark Star,” from the album Devourer (Run for Cover)
11. The Last Dinner Party, “Sinner,” from the album Prelude to Ecstasy (Universal)
12. Fontaines D.C., “Bug,” from the album Romance (XL)
13. Mannequin Pussy, “I Don’t Know You” from the album I Got Heaven (Epitaph)
14. GIFT, “Wish Me Away,” from the album Illuminator (Captured Tracks)
15. Charlie xcx, “Von dutch,” from the album Brat (Atlantic)
16. Real Estate, “Flowers,” from the album Daniel (Domino)
17. Carver Jones, “Crazy 24,” digital single
18. Kim Deal, Nobody Loves You More, from the album Nobody Loves You More (4AD)
19. Major Murphy, “Fallout,” from the album Fallout (Winspear)

The playlist also is available in Spotify (with the first two songs missing). Simply click this link or search “Tim McMahan” in Spotify, then select Profiles, then Public Playlists. You’ll find it, along with a few from past years.

Happy New Year!

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.–