Digital Music Social Networks: A Shift In Creating, Listening, And Connecting
The concept of a digital music social network is not a new one. Since the creation of the Internet, die-hard fans have been converging online to talk about their favorite artists and share information. I remember, back in 2003, when I was a member of a Black Eyed Peas fan website, and I would go online to talk about how much I loved Elephunk with other BEP fans (because let’s be honest, that album slayed).
The thing that makes the music social networks of today different from those of the past is the development of technology allowing musicians to create their own music, and then subsequently share that music online.
YouTube, a website that serves largely as a content-creation platform, has become a haven for musicians looking to make their big break. Noah Nelson of NPR Music surmises that the number of cover musicians (artists who record and produce their own unique covers of popular songs) “eclipses original work by a long shot,” calling YouTube, “this generation’s MTV.”[1] (In fact, I just did a 10-week radio series called “Uncovered,” promoting up-and-coming YouTube cover musicians. Click here to listen to the podcasts!)
Entire communities have emerged around these do-it-yourself musicians. YouTube cover musicians have begun to collaborate with each other (similar to the way established musicians feature other artists on their own songs), often resulting in growth of both artists’ fan bases and an explosion of new subscribers/followers. Many cover musicians on YouTube have gained incredible followings, with some artists even securing record deals with major labels and achieving mainstream success in the music industry. The viral nature of social media has caused some artists to become famous, even before they have released any actual albums. Justin Bieber, Lana Del Rey, and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are all examples, attributing their success to YouTube.[2]
Most recently, digital music social networks have found a home on streaming platforms. The Streaming Revolution is here and it’s taking over! In a survey I conducted recently, the majority of 54 respondents reported using Spotify as the music platform they use the most often to download or stream music. According to Next Big Sound, in 2011, “more than 3 billion fans played over 60 billion songs on various online music platforms.”[3] Pandora, Spotify, and Soundcloud are music streaming platforms that allow users to share playlists and songs with their network of friends (with Soundcloud serving also as a content-creation site). Jessica Edmondson of Socialnomics references the 2013 Nielsen U.S. Entertainment Consumer Report, stating that, “Music streaming increased a full 24% from 2012 to 2013, while downloaded sales decreased 4.6%. While downloads have been steadily decreasing on their own, this stat is still somewhat reflective of a broader shift in the listening experience from downloaded to streamed songs.”[4]
But it’s not just a shift in listening, it’s also shift in music sharing. By connecting with friends on music streaming platforms, users are contributing to growing digital music social networks that are rapidly becoming the future of music sharing.
References
[1] Nelson, N. (2013). Covering pop hits on YouTube is starting to pay. Retrieved October 8, 2015, from http://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2013/05/13/182880665/covering-pop-hits-on-youtube-is-starting-to-pay.
[2] BeDell, C. (2013). Music insiders tell us how social drives album sales and revenue. Retrieved May 8, 2015, from http://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-music-industry/.
[3] Buli, L., & Hu, V. (2012). Analytics and insights for the music industry. Retrieved May 11, 2015, from http://blog.nextbigsound.com/post/37277146054/what-social-media-has-todo-with-record-sales.
[4] Edmondson, J. (2013). How social media and streaming have influenced the music industry. Retrieved October 7, 2015, from http://www.socialnomics.net/2013/12/02/how-social-media-and-streaming-have-influenced-the-music-industry/.
