Millennials in the Music Industry
Music are everywhere in this day and age. Everybody listens to music on a daily basis, anytime and anywhere they go. Whether you’re in the shower or you’re on your way to work, or even while you’re working in the office, you can’t help but enjoy whatever music you’re into.
You might ask yourself, how the hell did music come this far? What makes it so popular? Would I be able to make my own music and be just as famous? Can I be a full-time musician and have enough money to sustain a good financial life? These question pops up regularly on people’s mind, especially millennials.
Many millennials nowadays are very interested in the music industry. They have a better chance in getting into it than ever before, with the availability of websites, such as YouTube and SoundCloud, that they can use as their main platform. They see music as something that can carry them financially and be their full-time job. Us at SOEDJA definitely support these kinds of creative movements.
Those sites can even provide stable income if they’re lucky enough to have a big audience. According to data from ifpi.org, the number one source of music revenue in 2018 is indeed from digital and streaming sites such as YouTube and Spotify, at 59%. Unfortunately, that if is a very big one.
The Sad Truth
Getting into the industry and having stability are two very different matters. Anyone can create a YouTube account and upload their work for the world to see, but it is very hard to consistently reach an audience. Even those that had early success can be seen struggling to get view counts, resulting in inconsistent income, or worse, no income at all. It’s very common to see music channels on YouTube that have millions of views on one video, but struggled to have any kind of consistency.
One example of this is RoomieOfficial on YouTube. Roomie is mainly a music channel even though he does a little side content from time to time. He once had a video titled One Guy, 43 Voices (With Music) — Roomie and it garnered a whopping 77 Million views. His other videos? Sure, some get over a million views but most of them don’t even reach 500 thousand.
So what should I do?
You can start by doing research on music labels or records. Sure, being handled by a music label wouldn’t be as fun as doing your own thing on whatever site you use, but there are some benefits of doing it. For one, you will be exposed more easily as they will help you get exposure through advertisements among others. This is the hardest part to do if you’re an indie musician, as you will have to promote yourself without any kind of help at all.
There are some downsides to this. Some labels won’t let you get 100% of the revenue your music generates. This means that they are taking royalty off your hard work. Never let them do this! Your music is your own work and you should be rewarded accordingly.
All in all, millennials should never give up if they want to become a musician. Look for a good music label to help you, and keep being creative and unique! Music is a matter of taste and there will be a time when people with the same music taste as you notice you and you’ll be in the high road by then. Keep doing your best!
