STREAMDREAM: The Evolution of Music Streaming
The last two decades have seen the rapid progression of music marketing. Easy accessibility plays to the comfort of the consumer and as technology keeps growing, platforms have emerged that are enabling people from all corners of the globe to be heard. This drives the music industry to keep up by ways of appeal strategy and scouting of new talent, but with content being released almost on a weekly basis, it’s now a competition to see which artists are able to stay on top. Revenue is no longer limited to record sales and an artist is not limited solely to music, possessing an entertaining personality amplified through social media, creative marketing and releasing innovative content all play a part in the success.
From vinyl records to tapes to CDs, the number of copies sold used to measure the success of an artist, but the early 2000s saw the beginning of internet music. People were sharing tracks through P2P (Peer 2 Peer) sites such as Napster and Limewire, the sort of piracy so widely available that you wouldn’t feel bad taking part in. Physical record sales eventually began to decline and this saw the start of an inevitable downfall for record stores.
MySpace was arguably the first platform to merge social networking and digital music, this site allowed users to upload content for free whether it be music, videos or written posts. From 2005–2008 MySpace was the most visited social networking site in the world and gave amateur musicians the capacity to get their art noticed, Calvin Harris being one of them. However, Myspace struggled to keep on top once Facebook and Instagram took over the social networking game and transformed the way society interacts as a whole.
In 2008, Swedish sound designer Alexander Ljung and electronic musician Eric Wahlforss launched Soundcloud, a free music-streaming service that allows users to upload and share their own content. Unlike MySpace, Soundcloud’s aim wasn’t to be recognised as a social networking site, but to give musicians the capability to be heard without major label marketing. In recent years, Soundcloud has been the forefront of culture; ‘Soundcloud Rappers’ being the term associated with the new generation of viral artists, even the ‘Thotiana’ rapper Blueface paid homage by getting the logo tattooed.
“Let’s create a legal alternative to this. Everybody wins. Music companies win. The artists win. Apple wins. And the user wins because he gets a better service and doesn’t have to be a thief. …”
— Steve Jobs, 2003
When YouTube entered the scene it didn’t just alter the music game but also the way people viewed media and with 300 hours of video uploaded onto the site every minute, there is something to satisfy everyone’s taste. Artists have their own YouTube channels that allow them to upload content directly online without limiting their creativity whilst still accumulating millions of views. Channels like MTV had finally met their match so started to distance themselves from music and invest more in reality TV shows. Soulja Boy’s 2007 debut single ‘Crank That’ accompanied by the ‘Soulja Boy Dance’ utilised this spectacle and became a global phenomenon that earned him a Grammy nomination, he was arguably the first rapper to successfully market himself using the platform. Statistics show that in 2017 85% of its users visited the site for music streaming purposes. Consequently, YouTube released their subscription-based streaming service ‘YouTube Music’ competing with Spotify and Apple Music, allowing subscribers hassle-free, adless streaming throughout YouTube including exclusive content.
Steve Jobs was also putting in work to create a digital music platform that aligned with Apple’s customer satisfaction ideals. In 2003 the iTunes Store opened its virtual doors, allowing customers to purchase singles and albums directly through the app, by 2004 this streaming data was incorporated into many of the top music charts. As of 2013, the iTunes Store catered to 575 million users and was gradually becoming the new platform to purchase all digital media. In 2015, Apple launched ‘Apple Music’, a monthly subscription service that provides customers with expertly curated playlists, TV shows such as Carpool Karaoke, airing radio stations presented by Beats and unlimited on-demand access to their 50 million-song music library.
As technology continues to make our day-to-day lives that little bit easier and making the world that little bit smaller, the ongoing evolution sees an online creative hub that enables you to present your art without limitation. Houses and cars are becoming smarter and the ability to sync these universally through one device, providing a listening experience that flows wherever you are would be the next step from multi-room audio systems. We are currently in an on-the-go generation, from food to cab services we need things quick and music is meeting these needs. Hit songs are increasingly becoming shorter and this trend is forecast to remain prominent in the music scenes future, with catchy, 2-minute songs eventually becoming the norm. The more times a track is streamed means more revenue generated — and lets be real, business is about numbers. Also, seeing the advancement of virtual reality in recent years, launching a pay-per-view type scheme is a future possibility, providing fans with a digital concert experience from home and eradicating the lucrative ticket resale industry.
Written by Ali Twice
