How today’s accessibility has still allowed undiscovered artists to thrive

“Back in my day…” How many times have we heard an old-school hip-hop/R&B lover say this when talking about today’s artists? Truth is, just a few decades ago the music game had a complete different blueprint than it does today. The road to fame and success was a distinct route.

In the 90’s we had artists such as LL Cool J, Ice-T, Missy Elliott, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and Wu-Tang Clan just to name a few. Pretty big names, right? This was a time where an inspiring artist would make a demo, get signed, release music and get paid. Good music came from labels that put in money and time to produce quality product to release to the public.

So what has changed? Accessibility.

The underground scene, for one, has built it’s very own massive fanbase. This means that there are hundreds of producers and artists now working from home or a small studio that have taught themselves the art and are able to release good quality music without the support of a label. The downside? No money comes from doing this.

Today, literally anyone can put out a song through platforms such as Soundcloud and YouTube that reach millions of people around the world and can blow up within a matter of days, even hours. That type of accessibility wasn’t available “back in the day” making it difficult for an artist to gain recognition on a national level without the support of a cash-dropping label. Just look at the numbers, Soundcloud currently has over 150 million registered users hungry for music everyday. It’s likely that most these users aren’t coming to this platforms for Top 40 music from mainstream artists.

This technology has allowed music consumers to be exposed to a whole new vast chain of undiscovered people who may be working odd jobs through the day and dropping hot music through the night from their home studio. Music fans today simply demand good music, not considering who it’s from or what basement it was released out of.

Independent artists now have the opportunity to not only practice their passion, but be self-dependent with it. Self-promotion and social media has allowed rookie artists to develop a brand and fanbase for free and if successful, be booked for shows and paid for sponsorships all on their own.

Let us know your thoughts!

 

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