At social media’s genesis, it’s intentions were to connect one human to another. As these sites began to grow in numbers, businesses sought out to advertise in the worldwide web for the same reason television advertisements are shown. Smartphones greatly increased the amount of screen time we allow ourselves per day; the emerging millennial and generation z generations are have profoundly incorporated their smartphones into their lives. Cell phones are usually the first thing people check in the morning nowadays. People flock to their social profiles for news and updates from their real-world cliques. The simple act of logging into your Facebook profile will obliterate your retinas with the multitude of advertisements shoved into your irises.

The music industry is no different from any other booming industry taking advantage of social media platforms to further their profit. Facebook, iTunes, and YouTube have all created platforms in which an artist had the potential to advertise their voice. Several other sites also allow independent artists to upload their content. Monthly subscription streaming services have also created a debacle in the industry over revenue – flashback to Taylor Swift pulling her entire discography off Spotif

 YouTube

YouTube’s rise to popularity came at just the right time. If the now Google-owned video service was born anywhere before it’s time it’d have most likely flopped. The music industry was already producing videos of it’s own for television channels like MTV. YouTube allowed for these videos to be a lot more accessible to fans. Now, instead of having to wait until your artist’s music videos to come on air, you could watch it anytime on the web. The big block-like computers of the nineties weren’t in high definition, but neither were the cameras of the time. YouTube began an era of record labels putting legitimate numerical digits on the amount of times their talent’s videos were being viewed. As of 2018, the most watched music video on YouTube is “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee. The other top five include Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s tribute to the late Paul Walker titled “See You Again,” another Ed Sheeran love song called “Shape of You,” the international sensation “Gangnam Style” by South Korean rapper PSY, and Mark Ronson’s throwback jam “Uptown Funk” featuring Bruno Mars. Live takes of artists for YouTube also attract a plethora of avid music lovers. BBC, The British Broadcasting Channel, does a lot of live takes with artists in their studio. In their Live Lounge, artists perform popular songs which become an exclusive love version listenable exclusively through BBC’s YouTube.

PSY’s South Korean rap song, named after an affluent community in Seoul, “Gangnam Style,” showed off YouTube’s true power. The influence of Korean pop culture had spread across Asia and South Korean boy/girl bands were touring from Tokyo, Beijing, Manila, and anywhere their were fans on their own continent. In 2012, PSY’s music video for “Gangnam Style” dethroned Justin Bieber’s “Baby” as the most watched video on the site. The beat out Bieber by about 3 million views and brought about cultural shift. YouTube became a platform where international industries could begin appearing in America’s market if it attracted enough Western attention. “Gangnam Style” did just that – the nonsensical music video and iconic dance PSY performs during the video helped him to become an international name. The song began a cultural shift because we were seeing an overwhelmingly positive response by English-speaking viewers to a rap song written and performed completely in Korean. PSY’s viral fame didn’t just dissipate after his first hit music video – he later released another rap titled “Gentleman” where he treats women the complete opposite in the song’s video. The comedic video also garnered PSY even more attention. Even if this single didn’t get on American radio, PSY left his mark on the world and burst the door open for the Korean pop market in America.

Facebook

Facebook for the music industry has become the biggest marketing tool in their arsenal. Facebook’s allows account creations with indicators such as restaurant, small business, and musician/band so that viewers know the context of the brand they’re staring at. Facebook pages for celebrities, especially musicians, isn’t about connecting personally with fans. Promotional content is going to be posted across all the singer’s social media accounts – but Facebook usually doesn’t include the personal “thank you for buying my album!” you might get from an Instagram post. Generally, management companies run a band’s Facebook. Facebook nowadays has also become somewhat of a newsstand. Articles from CNN, Fox, NBC, etc. are all shared by Facebook users. Websites all over the internet have sidebar’s dedicated to social media logos that’ll allow you to share what you’re reading instantly. Big media producers being shared on Facebook gave it more credibility as a news source – even though you’re probably only seeing what your friends share versus the overall news. Entertainment news outlets like Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone are shared every second on Facebook. Media convergence is what’s given Facebook a not-so-bad rap when it comes to keeping folks updated on new releases and reading print publications online.

Instagram and Twitter

Instagram and Twitter are two different social media platforms. Each site presents a different method of spreading your message but each ends with a similar brand-building result. Celebrities, unlike their associated Facebook profiles, are usually solely managed by the actual performer themselves. The evidence of this is profound – in the day and age of Twitter little do influencers check with their PR people before sending out a tweet to the world. Old tweets deep down in the trenches of Twitter have also proven to be a career halter even if the tweet was posted years before the person had any notoriety. Brands associated with a person of influence will then pull or threaten to pull whatever partnership exists between them unless their tweet is taken down and “deleted from the internet.” Web tabloids hire people to focus and screenshot tweets that could become controversial/taken down. Because singers run their own Twitters and Instagrams, the content they choose to post is completely at their own fault. Twitter, the microblogging character-limiting tweet machine, allows for quick thoughts to be first-class packaged and shipped to your follower-sphere. People are often berated on Twitter for negative or offensive comments and celebrities aren’t any different. Instagram and Twitter, however, both still meet the same end goal as a social media marketing platform.

Celebrities running their own accounts means that they are more reachable than ever before. Your favorite singer, actor, reality TV star is right there for you to at, message, and tag. The fascination with celebrities in some people can become obsessive and creepy – so there’s downsides to this. Stalkers have used internet tools and social media’s location services to find and invade the personal properties of the musical love of their life. The power of social media bringing your singers at a text message’s length away has brought them somewhat to our level. Fans get even higher highs when they get a follow back from their favorite band member or get responded to on any site’s instant messaging. Indie singer/songwriter, Lana Del Rey, had a fun interaction with fans via Twitter the day before the release of her fifth studio album, Lust for Life. Del Rey’s music career has been infamous for having much of her unreleased songs and vocals are forever floating around the internet thanks to leakers. The day before her album’s release the entire twelve track record was leaked onto the web for for anyone to listen to free of charge. Del Rey took to Twitter to scold her fans for supporting anyone who ruins album releases for the artists, simply tweeting “You little f*ckers.” Del Rey, who’s sixth album is in the works and set for release in early 2019, was contacted back by loyal fans who offered to send her the link to the site where the .mp3 files were being played and the album was successfully “deleaked.”

         iTunes

The goal of any media making company id to generate revenue. The recording industry is a multi-billion dollar industry where millions are being paid to the top tier and most loved vocalists. Social media, as I’ve mentioned, has created a way for independent artists who aren’t signed to a label can promote themselves. Independent media creators, especially musical ones, are often creating their own content because it’s a passion of their’s they love to share. Passions turn into pursuits and pursuits can become careers. Young music makers look up to worldwide touring artists who have made it and dream of having the same career. Unfortunately, luck ha everything to do with fame and not everybody becomes Elvis Presley or Britney Spears. These independent artists would love to pursue their passion in a full-time setting; they feel like they’re time is better spent creating art. Working a full-time job doesn’t allow for too much practice time. Money can be made as a local musician at the local coffee shop where you’d make $80 for an hour. It’s good money unless you haven’t booked a show until next weekend and you just got paid for a Friday night gig. YouTube began allowing popular YouTubers to start monetizing their videos. It created incentive for the content creators to keep up their passion and work hard to attract a fan base. Cover artists on YouTube were some of the first to become monetized. People adore a fresh voice over a song they’ve loved forever. iTunes made the deal even sweeter for independent musicians. iTunes, Apple’s online store, you’re able to purchase different forms of entertainment media (songs, ringtones, television series, etc.) for small payments via your debit/credit card or an iTunes/App Store gift card. iTunes wasn’t a social platform – it was a farmer’s market for singers. Independent singers were allowed to upload and sell their tracks on iTunes without any audition or approval. The albums put up on iTunes are fully for sale and generate revenue for the artist. The typical iTunes song is $1.29, playing your catchy original hit to eighty people might mean another ninety dollars in .mp3 sales.