Dettner

Social Networking and the Digitization of Music: The Impact on The Music Industry

The music industry as we know is full of audio clips, music videos, live performances, remixes, mash ups and many other converged media that come together to create a unique musical experience. Today’s younger generation has become so accustomed to the way music is produced and distributed, that the methods used only a decade or two ago seem like a distant motif in history. Technological advancements enable us to share, download, analyze and reinvent music in ways never thought possible. New technologies glamorize the music industry through music videos, massive live performances and websites that allow us to engage in a seemingly unlimited amount of musical experiences.

 Technology and music have gone hand in hand since the creation of the first instrument. Even with a simple modification to the voice, such as cupping hands around the mouth will change the sound and add a new rhythmic element to the voice. With every new instrument and sound changing innovation being brought to light, a new genre and music style seems to blossom from it.

 By being able to share and consume music at rate that is bind blowing, the digitization of music has opened the doors to a realm of endless creativity and collaboration. Greg Gillis, AKA “Girl Talk,” Links to an external site. is the perfect example of how technological advancements allow us to re imagine and collaborate music in ways never thought possible.

http://youtu.be/VlPkIS-uNMk Links to an external site. 

Sometimes mashing up over twenty separate songs at once, Gillis’ live performance illustrates the endless possibilities of re imagining the way we create music. As Paul D. Miller (DJ Spooky) points out, the mash up “is a new way of doing something that’s been with us for a long time: creating with found objects (Meikle and Young, 2012, Pg. 81).”

 The digitization of music has changed the way we see music by allowing us to reimagine and remix, but it has allowed for new opportunities to create original works. My interview with Greg Geiser illustrated how one person can create a fully developed work of music without picking up a single instrument.Geiser is an aspiring electronic music producer, with a dozen full-length tracks that have yet to be released to the public. Using Ableton Live 9, Geiser becomes a one-man band by creating the music for each digital instrument that make up the song in its entirety. Using social networking sites like Google Chrome, Sound Cloud Links to an external site. and Beat Port Links to an external site., Greg is able to be in the same environment as his favorite artists and download newly uploaded tracks for free.

Play media comment. This is a screenshot of one of Greg Geiser's works in progress on Ableton Live 9. 

Greg thinks that social networking sites such as these are creating a musical environment based on collaboration and creativity. Most of the artists on the sites are willing to post there work for free public consumption. Clive Thompson (2013) believes that the free consumption of musicians work is ruining economic dignity in the music industry Links to an external site..

“It doesn’t necessarily deny the musician any form of income, but it does mean that the musician is restricted to a real-time economic life. That means one gets paid to perform, perhaps, but not paid for music one has recorded in the past - Clive Thomson

This is obviously a highly debated topic, so I decided to get a different perspective from another San Jose Musician.

 Brandon Garcia plays trumpet for Sweet Hayah Links to an external site., an impassioned blend of rock and soul music. A group that thrives off its live performances, Brandon and his band mates rely on social networking sites to reach their fan base and promote their performances. According to Brandon, social networking sites play a vital role in making most up and coming bands visible to the public. Although the band has some recorded works, their main goal is to share their passion for music through live performances. Facebook allows the band to reach out to their fan base and keep them updated with tour dates, new music and merchandise. Howard Rheingold (as quoted in Meikle and Young, 2012, P. 141) argued, “the greatest impact of convergent media will come from the new forms of culture that will emerge from virtual communities.”

http://youtu.be/x35G61M5biw Links to an external site.  

The convergence of media, digitization of music and social networking sites have come together to create the ultimate marketing tool for up and coming artists. There is no longer a necessity for A&R men (“artist” and “repertoires”) in the music industry. Artists are now able to self-market their music and performances, expand their fan base, and generate exposure with the aid of social networking sites. An article from The Economist Links to an external site. (2011)states, that large numbers of Facebook friends and Twitter followers help show that a band has traction (The Economist, <p> 5), which will then lead to possible scouting and record deal offers. When a group or artist has a steadily increasing fan base and seems to be trending, this illustrates the potential for success to record companies seeking new talent.

Before the social networking boom of the past decade, it was difficult for record companies to determine if a group or artist would generate a substantial fan base. Now, an artist or group’s popularity is completely visible with the number of friends, likes and comments surrounding the group or artist of interest. The ways in which audiences respond to media content is vital to determining future prospects of a recording artist. As mentioned in Media Convergence (2012), aggregate size of a given audience can be used as an index of popularity and as a simulated currency to be traded in the advertising market place (Meikle and Young, pg. 105). By having a visible fan base and positive response to media content, social networking sites will market a group or artist on its own.

Social networking sites, convergence of media, and the digitization of music has come together to make a substantial impact on today’s music environment. The music industry has become more collaborative, creative, and controversial than ever before. Digital music allows artist to create and share works in ways never thought imaginable. Social networking sites have created massive virtual communities around artists of interest, making undiscovered talent visible to the world. Music is something that should be shared with the world, and not to be used as a get rich quick scheme. These technological advancements are helping create a musical environment based on the pure love for music.

Works Cited

Discovering musical talent: A new improved hit machine. (2011, October22). The Economist. Retrieved April                 19, 2014, from http://www.economist.com/node/21533423

Meikle, G., Young, S. (2012). Media convergence: Networked digital media in every day life.Houndmills,                            Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave, Macmillan

Thompson, C., (2013, April 25). The real danger of copying music (it’s not what you think). Wired Magazine.                    Retrieved April 19, 2014, from http://www.wired.com/2013/04/digital- Links to an external site. music-is-like-a-mortgage/