BY RAGHAV MANGRULKAR
Social media is really exciting. It gives one a lot of creative freedom and the ability to express oneself as they chose. As a young musician myself, I can safely say that social media platforms are great places to put up creative and fun content.
Social media sheds light on the talent that would have otherwise gone unnoticed had it not been for the virtual world. In the past, the only way to gain a following would have been to go out and play as many gigs as one could get, hope that someone notices you and gives you a chance. And if at all you can get a record deal, you have to pray that people will listen to you.
Nowadays, however, it is comparatively easier to gain a following (it’s never easy but social media apps greatly help). You can keep in touch with your fanbase via Twitter and Instagram. These platforms also make promoting new releases easier than ever before.
I scroll through my Instagram every day and almost every second post I encounter is a musician showing off their various musical skills (be it looping, production, multi-instrumental talent or even just covers). And each artist does it in a unique manner which exposes us to a whole other bunch of musical influences which would be unknown without these platforms. Moreover, the interaction between a musician and their fans has become a lot more personal and relatable with the artists sharing things about their daily life.
In the music industry, it is difficult to make a full time living out of original content creation. As an instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and producer your choices are quite limited in terms of ways to earn a living, with many opting for session work, gigs in TV/film or live gigs till they find some luck as creators. Most tend to combine a bunch of these.
Platforms like Instagram and Youtube have changed this entire game. Youtube musicians are a whole new class of musicians out there…and they’re killing it. With some combining comedy and music and others spreading musical and gear knowledge, the music world has been brought together and has become much smaller and close-knit.
Amassing large audiences through their social media presence the new generation of musicians are pop stars in their own right, with a few even becoming actual chart-topping musicians (Shawn Mendes, Justin Bieber, Charlie Puth to name a few). Instagram guitarist Mateus Asato has a following in the millions and is a touring member of Tori Kelly’s band.
Since we’re on the topic of incredible fame through social media, I want to take a second to talk about Old Town Road. It’s a killer track that has an incredible journey behind its rise to fame. Lil Nas X was an unknown rapper with a small internet presence. He wrote the song using a beat put online by YoungKio (also unknown at the time). And then got in touch with as many influencers as he could, asking them to promote the song. He himself started uploading videos using the song. Soon Old Town Road was widely used online and it eventually charted. This lucky collaboration by two artists from different parts of the world launched two incredible careers.
The reason I’m mentioning this song is that had it not been for social media, most of us wouldn’t have heard of it.
Similarly, platforms like Instagram lead to so many collaborations from artists who would have otherwise never worked together. You find an artist you like and DM them and this is the new way the industry works.
In my opinion, social media has allowed every type of musician to find their own place in this vast industry, especially during this pandemic. The internet is the only thing allowing artists to continue to create content, grow, thrive and even earn. It has given them a unique voice and will continue to do so.