Before the introduction of social media, music is not that boundless due to borders and language limitation. However, the world has completely altered following the fast-growing of technological advancement and the internet.
The evolution of social media brings a revolution to the music industry. Wall between musicians, domestic fans, and international fans has been broke down while fan-based networked publics and community rose through the social media platform.
In this blog, I will explore deeper into the impact on music culture and music industry after the existence of social media…
Nature of music as a universal language
There is an idiom, “When words fail, music speak.” Although lyrics are vital in several songs, the power of music is not solely limited to the meaning of the words. Music can evoke emotions, create moods, and convey messages even without understanding the lyrics. Music is truly international and can transcend linguistic barriers.
Sometimes, songs are regularly used as one form of communication, feeling expression, and storytelling in various culture around the world. Each distinctive music style and its rhythm reflects different culture and moods which people can appreciate and enjoy the music from different parts of the world without lyric understanding.
The K-pop culture phenomena can be taken as an instance. Korean is not the international language; nevertheless, fans from all around the world still appreciate their favorite songs and artists.
Music touches listeners’ hearts in several different ways. Whether it is through emotionally touching melodies, beautiful rhythm, and individual sensations, music can make the listeners feel deeply connect to something beyond themselves.
Social media and Technology in Music Production
Music and technology have been inextricably linked since the creation of the phonograph in the nineteenth century. Furthermore, it was completely shifted two decades ago, when the descent of internet comes. The link between music and technology has become even stronger, specifically thanks to the rise of social media.
The Beatles
IN PRE-INTERNET ERA, music production was in more manual process which requires expertise music producers to operate. Tape-machine, mixing-consoles, and the other essential equipment are also necessitated in music making process. These factors made the former recording process excessively expensive and time-consuming than these days, meaning that artists have to strictly partner with the record label due to the financial issue.
Furthermore, how to communicate and discuss the work between the artists and the producers was limited. There was only face-to-face conference back then which this takes time in working process and reduces the opportunity to collaborate with the others from different places.
WARP TO THE DIGITAL AGE, music making process has been revolutionized with the technological advancements. Internet platform and social media has made how artists and music producers work easier regardless of locations.
Technology in music production allows everyone to be an artist. It has opened the door for nomads who want to be an artist but undervalue themselves like they never have gotten the exposure they deserve. This provides a wider range of opportunity for emerging of new artists, finding diamond the rough.
Music consumption habits have changed
As decades passed by, the way we consume music and share our favorite songs have changed with the innovation.
Mobile music device has been first existed in 1979 when the Sony Walkman was introduced. Afterwards, mobile CD and mini-disk player made their brief appearance before MP3 and iPods were invented in the 2000s. No long after, the creation of smartphones has completely modified things up as phone convert with a variety kind of technologies that people use in their daily life. When the phone became a networked mobile music device, the opportunities for mobile listening expanded even more. Music listening was more open. So, was the music.
The way individuals consume music has significantly altered. Previously, there was peer-to-peer music file sharing on sites and a massive demand for MP3 players, while users now have paid memberships to online streaming services on mobile devices for accessing to millions of catchy tunes from various artists across the continents. Music becomes more boundaryless and wide spreading with digital media and internet.
This has made music more accessible and allowed people to discover new artists and genres easily.
Artists gained more control of their contents
Previously, a record label was required to support and promote a newcomer artist’s music; with social media platforms, artists nowadays have more control over the distribution and sales from their work, as well as the access to effortlessly upload their work online.
Platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram have become new standards for sharing music videos, lyrics, and live performances. These platforms allow artists to expand their fan base and engage with them openly, which changes the way artists and fans interact from one-way communication to two-step flow of communication.
Via social media platform, artists can share a variety of contents such as behind-the-scenes of their working process, updates of their upcoming album, or their personal daily lives. This makes fans feels more intimate with their favorite artists, as they are able to interact with their bias more personal.
With the use of hashtags, song becomes more well-known in public eyes. When a new song is released, artists often generate their own hashtags to share the ideas and comments about their new album with their followers (two-way of communication). The more fans use the hashtags, the more their new song is widespread.
Similarly, some artists use live video platforms where the supporters can ask questions, leave comments, and send virtual gifts real-time. Doing so makes fans feel closer to the artists leading to a sense of community and cozy relationship between them.
User-generated content on applications
Through the user-generated content like TikTok dance challenges, music becomes more and more catchy around the world. TikTok, for example, has had remarkable success in generating viral dance challenges to certain songs. When users create and share their own videos using the same song, it can quickly become a popular trend and boost the song’s popularity.
TikTok becomes a powerful factor in term of making music catchy and enlarging artists’ reputation. This platform is a great choice for the artists to gain exposure and build a fanbase. It emphasizes on user-generated content, meaning that anyone can release their songs there and potentially reach millions of viewers. Its algorithm has made the songs viral, and thus its unique video format allows the users for creative interpretation and expression of music.
Likewise, numerous artists and record labels utilize TikTok to promote their new song and album by creating a dance challenge. Consequently, music production is implicitly affected by the popularity of TikTok. Songs are produced to be shorter these days as the video shared on TikTok typically lasts between 15 seconds to 3 minutes.
Globalization, Technology, and International Music Festival
With the introduction of internet, a new phenomenon named musical globalization has arisen as the people can now access to the music from all around the world more easily than ever by just using click from their fingertips. Musical globalization is the process in which music from various cultures and nations becomes more available to people all over the world, allowing people to discover and appreciate new music genres from all over the world.
The collaboration of foreign artists harmonizes music cultures which resulting in a variety of new music styles. Globalization and technology have had a significant influence on the music industry, making music more widespread and catchier.
Additionally, musical globalization grows a new path in live music industry, international music festivals and world tour. This makes more channel of income for artists, performers, audio engineers, and other professionals. Live music is very blooming and has steadily grown over the decades before the outbreak.
When the pandemic comes, everything has forced to shut down. But luckily, musicians have been monetizing livestreamed performances over social media platforms using paid access services instead.
conclusion
Music has always been an indispensable cultural piece which links people from all over the world. It is a powerful and universal language which connect people from all around the world beyond cultural and linguistic barriers. Over the times, the way people consume music has completely shifted followed the technology.
With the technological advancement and the limitless usage of social media, we now can access to music from all around the world via the internet, streaming services, and other technology. The exposure to music genres, sounds, and civilizations has extended our musical horizons and made us more receptive to new sounds and styles.
Besides, the rise of social media usage and media technology has progressed the way how music is produced and publicized. The way music is shared and consumed has dramatically changed since the introduction of social media. Social media sites like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter have indeed become remarkably powerful in spreading catchy songs throughout the world.
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