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Social media is embedded in the modern day music industry. It has shot artists to dizzying heights of stardom, provided landmark pop-cultural moments underscored by viral tracks, and given promoters a direct line to customers, who are never far from their phones. It is both a tool for consumers to find new music, and a way for artists and labels to share their songs with new and ever-expanding audiences.
Read on to learn more about the impact of social media on music and sound, with 5 free-to-read chapters. Find resources on everything from the influence of TikTok on song-making to the unlikely partnership of social media and radio, and from practical insights into using social media in careers to creating fandom communities.
TikTok has become ubiquitous in our lives – even if not everyone uses the platform, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who had never heard of it. It’s unsurprising, therefore, that TikTok has had an impact on the music industry, as the platform thrives on viral sounds and catchy songs. The real depth of its impact, however, is staggering. As Richard Frenneaux explains in his chapter from The Music Industry in the Digital Age: How Platforms Are Redefining Pop, DIY and Participatory Culture, TikTok has influenced the length and even the structure of songs, materially altering the way modern songs are written. Beyond its impact on the musical product, TikTok’s aptitude as a viral marketing tool ‘democratizes music promotion’ (Frenneaux), as it offers a vehicle for unsigned artists to almost instantaneously tap into an audience which could number in the multi millions. Frenneaux also highlights TikTok as a stage for musical rediscovery, which has offered a digital renaissance to artists from Fleetwood Mac to Pavement, tapping into a desire for ‘nostalgia’ which resurfaces as a key strain in TikTok trends.
Explore further by reading the chapter ‘TikTokification: Transforming music through engagement, viral hits and nostalgic legacies’ from ‘The Music Industry in the Digital Age: How Platforms Are Redefining Pop, DIY and Participatory Culture’ by Richard Frenneaux.
Social media may democratize music by making mass promotion more accessible, but this is not the first era in which artists have worked to take control of their own music production and promotion. Ellis Jones makes a study of social media and the original DIY music movement characterized by bands like Scritti Politti, which held ‘particular aspirations relating to the democratization of culture’, often producing punk, post-punk, indie and electronic music. Jones points out that for modern practitioners of this movement, social media provides both an opportunity and an obstacle: while it offers a free alternative to being signed by a major record label, it throws up ideological problems including how the use of these platforms can be reconciled with DIY’s ‘anti-marketing stance’, and the fact that the platforms themselves are owned by a select few individuals with significant wealth and social influence. The ease of using social media to share DIY music may also lead to concerns about authenticity – one of Jones’ practitioner interviewees contrasts the more labour-heavy DIY process of the 90s with ‘just using Facebook’, suggesting using social media eliminates the hard work some DIY practitioners hold as essential to their ideology.
Explore further by reading the chapter ‘The platform: alterity and the political economy of social media’ from ‘DIY Music and the Politics of Social Media’ by Ellis Jones.
The increased digitalization of our world has led to the demise of much of the communication technology we used to rely on – but John Collins argues that this is not the case for radio, a medium now over a century old which is being revitalized by social media. Collins identifies the key features of radio as ‘immediacy, simplicity, intimacy and interactivity’: as these are the same characteristics which have led to social media’s success, he argues that social media and radio are apt partners. He explains that social media addresses a historic imbalance in radio between broadcaster and listener by allowing instant communication between the two, which was previously only possible by calling into the station and hoping to be selected to speak live. In Collins’ chapter, social media professionals from KISS FM and BBC Radio WM share their experiences and strategies, with both contributors outlining the key advantage of using social media: it opens up a new audience, offering a space to share multimedia content which is impossible to share via radio alone.
Explore further by reading the chapter ‘Social Media: A renaissance in radio’ from The Radio Handbook by John Collins and Arran Bee.
We’ve all casually watched a music video on YouTube, had a look through the comments, and maybe even liked the video or made a comment ourselves. But for some music creators, YouTube is a deeply personal experience, which allows them to create communities, build friendships and develop as artists. In Christopher Cayari’s chapter, the writer takes a look at these online musical communities, including a case study of musician Carlos Eiene (Insaneintherainmusic). Eiene, who creates jazz covers of video game soundtracks, shares his experience using YouTube both to build meaningful relationships with his fanbase and to meet fellow musicians. His experience provides an example of how sharing music online can lead to collaborations with other artists, both online and in-person, and demonstrates the varied and interconnected platforms which modern artists can use to build community, in this case including YouTube, Facebook, Discord, Twitch and more.
Explore further by reading the chapter ‘Cultivating community on YouTube and expanding through social media’ by Christopher Cayari from The Bloomsbury Handbook of Popular Music and Youth Culture edited by Andy Bennett.
Inspired to start using social media as a music professional? April Tucker explains how social media can be used by audio professionals as a tool for self-promotion, with tried and tested practical advice from professionals working across a wide range of jobs in the audio industry. A professional social media presence helps you get a ‘foot in the door’ getting your name and expertise out there to embed yourself in the community. Although word of mouth is still a strong tool for getting jobs, social media provides an online space for networking, and a launch pad to find in-person opportunities to show your skills. The chapter explores tips for managing content creation, best practice for posting and messaging, and advice on branding, marketing and sales more widely.
Explore further by reading the chapter ‘Marketing and Sales (How to Land the Gig)’ from Finding Your Career in the Modern Audio Industry by April Tucker.
The chapters discussed here can be found in the Bloomsbury Popular Music and Sound Design collections. If you would like to explore these collections further and your institution does not yet have access, please ask your librarian to contact us to arrange a free trial.
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