The Industry
As social media and the internet changed for the artists who created the music, so too did it change for those who were in charge with releasing the music as well: the music industry. Artists were now able to create and release their own music on their own time, making it seem that the record companies have become less necessary. Artists today are creating their music from their own bedrooms and not traveling to recording studios to make it. Record companies are not pressing out singles or CD's like they used too; many are relying on digital sales as their main indicator of success. These differences have forced the music industry to adjust and learn, to find new ways to distribute music and to continue success.
Tom McCauley notices the differences. McCauley, a recording engineer in Los Angeles remembers the times of traveling to record, television and other entertainment studios in order to do his work. Nowadays, he travels to customers' garages or homes rather than a big studio. "The old days were big budgets, top-of-the-line equipment and 'How do you want your espresso and can I get it for you?' I do miss that a bit. And at that time, even just 10 years ago, it didn't seem like that could ever, ever end (6)," admits McCauley. McCauley's situation and experiences is only a small example of the industry's change as a whole (6).
Tom McCauley notices the differences. McCauley, a recording engineer in Los Angeles remembers the times of traveling to record, television and other entertainment studios in order to do his work. Nowadays, he travels to customers' garages or homes rather than a big studio. "The old days were big budgets, top-of-the-line equipment and 'How do you want your espresso and can I get it for you?' I do miss that a bit. And at that time, even just 10 years ago, it didn't seem like that could ever, ever end (6)," admits McCauley. McCauley's situation and experiences is only a small example of the industry's change as a whole (6).
In Nathan Olivares-Giles' article titled Recording Studios are Being Left Out of the Mix, Olivares-Giles reports that half of the commercial studios used in Los Angeles have either closed or been sold away. Recording software that exists now is able to perform the duties of tape recorders and other software at a fraction of the price, leaving these old studios obsolete. "We've gone back to being small and entrepreneurial. People still look to commercial studios when they have something to offer that they can't do at home. But, as it is, the recording studio business started with people starting small, funky studios, oftentimes in bedrooms and garages (6)," says Maureen Droney, senior director of the Recording Academy's Producers and Engineers wing. The advancement of technology has no doubt been a major contributor for the changes in the industry. As things become cheaper and easier to do, the methods of old go by the side (6).
Like the old studios, even older social media sites have been pushed aside for newer and better things. The website Myspace was once a major social media site, but has since been virtually replaced by newer sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Described as a "flat-lined social-networking site (10)" by MTV writer Kara Warner in her article on the site, Myspace has been reworked less as a social media site and more as a site exclusively for musicians and their fans. Actor and musician Justin Timberlake bought out the site in 2011 along with other investors, and has since been redesigned to what it is today. Timberlake's goal is to allow musicians and their fans to be able to connect more than ever, and is emphasizing quality over quantity in the connections. "I think about it as blurring the gap and how much you can discover through your fan base and how much you can discover about yourself as an artist (10)," he tells MTV news. Whether the new design will help to revamp the site remains to be seen, as it still continues to compete against the newer site and media that had replaced it in the first place (10).
The music industry is well aware of the change that is going around it. It is working vigorously to understand social media better and to find new ways to market their product. Glenn People's article titled The Rise of Music's Social Media Gurus, he describes the various efforts music companies are making in order to adapt. Once just a part time way to boost an artist's fan base, using social media to market has become an extremely important part of the process, and requires more than just one person to do so. These companies are understanding that you can't not use social media, and the requirements to maintain the task of constantly updating social media is more intense than expected. Peoples writes, "Outsiders may imagine social media experts writing pithy,
witty tweets and attention-grabbing Facebook posts -- activities a good portion
of the country performs every day. These basic tasks are part and parcel to any
social media job, but they only scratch the surface of what's really involved.
For better or worse, social media never sleeps, and good social media
management requires constant attention, planning, coordination and
communication (7)." The necessity to be able market artist's music on social media have made these companies go out to find people who can help with the new strategies of marketing. Those people however, may not exactly be clear or easy to find. "I don't necessarily look for somebody with quote
'social media experience (7)'" says Jennie Smythe, president of Girlilla
Marketing. Smythe rather looks for those who can produce content or creative experiences. The inventions of social media as well as the advancements of technology itself are major contributors to the changes in the music industry. They have forced record companies to thing of new and different ways to market music (7).