2015: A golden era for social media and the music industry.

The music industry has experienced rapid and constant change over the last several years as a result of the ever-growing social media industry. However, many would argue that 2015 and 2016 were ideal times to be a growing artist in the industry and an atmosphere that has already been lost.

The sudden rise of social media platforms in 2015 and 2016 created a whole new experience for both fans and artists. It allowed fans to feel even closer to their favourite singers and experience the growth of an artist in real-time. At the push of a button, artist could share new music, their everyday life, and the behind-the-scenes of the music industry. Like never before, fans became involved in artists lives - or felt like they were at the very least. However, this made a large impact on the dedication and formation of fan basis where thousands could communicate their love and passion for songs and artists.

The rise of social media also quickly led to a new way for artists to be discovered. We saw a large proportion of today's biggest artists discovered on social media platforms such as Youtube, Vine, and Instagram. Social media allowed up coming artists to have a head start as they often already have a following on social media in a way that artists had never experienced before. Artists such as Justin Bieber, Halsey, and Shawn Mendes etc, used this new opportunity to express their passion for music and their talents. For the first time, audiences could experience a greater depth of artists lives and share they dedication on a large scale. Social media allowed fans to have readily available access to artists whereabouts and updates.

However, the phenomenon of social media has transformed the music industry yet again. Unlike when social media first started rapidly growing, it is even harder for new artists to be discovered. There are now thousands of artists trying to be discovered by posting videos and photos of their music on social media. However, standing out on a platform of thousands and millions of users is not an easy task. We are now finding artists trying to become relevant by creating, and in some cases forcing, a trending sound for social platforms such as Tiktok. By doing this, in many ways, it takes away a real passion and talent for the music itself.

Some would argue that we have too much access to artists' personal lives that it has backfired in many ways. Fan bases have such large online presence and communities that one simple dislike for an aspect of music or an artist is instantly torn down and cancelled. We are also hearing such a large spread of opinion that was never previously experienced before on such a grand level. It can be argued that this level of awareness artists have of fans and the public opinions has created a conscious movement where artists are producing music for social media rather than for the real love of the art. We are also seeing artists become another level of influencer as we are constantly being sold things at a much more rapid pace than before. There has been a massive move away from artists posting their personal everyday lives to only trying to sell products or promote, which in many ways is understandable. However, this is creating a sense of inauthenticity and lack of passion.

The music industry is constantly trying to keep up with and create new trends for social media. Although there is a tremendous amount of positive opportunities created by rising platforms, there are also many lost aspects of the art. I believe that until we discover a new approach to the music industry and find a new outlet that promotes artists passion and talent, it is unlikely we will experience a similar wave of music and artists that we saw in 2015 & 2016.

Let me know your thoughts and ideas on the matter!

lizzie Lou x