For decades, becoming a musician only happened in one of a couple ways.
You could record a demo and send it to record labels. You could try to get gigs until someone noticed your talents. Or you could hope to make a personal connection in the industry.
The rise of the Internet has taken things in a new direction. These days, aspiring musicians can market themselves on social media - and really, they have to.
Even after the Internet became a “thing”, there wasn’t social media as we know it. That all changed in 2005 when a new video-sharing website was founded.
You might have heard of it: YouTube.
It wasn’t long before people realized the site’s potential. By 2006, it was one of the fastest-growing websites in the world. For the first time ever, people realized they could become famous just by uploading a video.
YouTube wasn’t the only content-sharing platform around in those days.
MySpace was also around, a modest precursor to the kind of global stage YouTube would become.
As the 2010s rolled on, other content-sharing platforms also debuted; SoundCloud, Spotify, Vimeo, and others made private content more accessible than ever before.
The Internet was all about social media. That meant that everyone had, in theory, an equal platform. It was increasingly clear that social media wasn’t just a place where anyone could post. These success stories proved there was a real chance of getting noticed if you knew how to market yourself on social platforms.
As for talent scouts, it proved that these websites were a real and viable place to find the next big star.
“Artist & Repertoire” discovery no longer needed to take place in the clubs; label reps could just establish a filter prioritizing “view count,” and scour the Internet to find the "Next Big Thing".
One of the most significant developments in recent years has been the rise of apps such as TikTok.
TikTok has made waves not just because of its extreme popularity; the app has become the official environment for scouting up-and-coming talent that also aimed at helping talent scouts connect with personalities (and sure, musicians, too, sometimes) and negotiate brand deals.
It’s clear the Internet is no longer just a global platform for helping people get themselves out there.
In an industry with countless moving parts, it’s an essential part of the whole. From a global stage to a place to make vital connections, the Internet - and especially social media - has evolved along with music in the 21st century.
SOURCE: How the Internet Became an Essential Part of the Music Industry. American Songwriter > https://americansongwriter.com/how-the-internet-became-an-essential-part-of-the-music-industry/
*RehaB101 Original New School Webcast > #RehaB101ONSW newsfeed.
• Blaze 1 Radio Blog new indie Dance Dancehall Gospel Hip Hop Indigenous instrumental Jazz Pop Rap Reggae rhythm and blues ( RnB / R&B ) Soul urban blogs internet live music song stream dj mix shows interview podcast rotation video youtube world wide web national international #media news coaching #commentary #Blaze1Radio #Next2Blaze #blogBlaze #indieBLAZE #mediaBLAZE #youtubeBLAZE 24/7 #Youtube #MySpace #TikTok #SoundCloud #Spotify #Vimeo #internet
*YOUTUBE PAGE: NEXT 2 BLAZE > www.youtube.com/@blaze-1-radio/videos
