Music & Media

The music industry has evolved so much in the last couple decades -- hey, even in the last few years.  Artists' music sales used to be solely based on how many physical copies of their records or CDs were sold.  However, physical music content is being replaced by digital content.  The way we consume music content is changing with the industry and in the age of new media.  And while the convenience and abundance of music content has increased, it does not mean music sales have.  Why is this?  Because it's much easier for consumers to find shortcuts.  There are things artists used to not have to worry about that are rising in popularity in today's world such as free music sites and the ability to transfer music files from computer to computer.   An article from Tech Times features statistics of modern-day music consumers.  What was really shocking to me was the fact that 57 million Americans get their music from unlicen...

Pretty much every musician has a tuner app, metronome app, recording app, maybe even a songwriting app.  All things that are there for us during practice time - to prep our instrument, get our ideas down, set our tempo.  But below are a couple more apps I recommend.  They're definitely worth checking out to ensure a more productive practice time. When I'm trying to learn a new song by ear, I'm constantly replaying recordings I find of the song.  Even if I have the music for it, I look up the song just to hear how it's played.  But I often wish I could hear it slower to better break down the troublesome spots.  (Well, there's an app for that!)   "Amazing Slow Downer" by Roni Music allows you to listen to musical recordings and either slow down or speed up passages - without changing the pitch - to better hear what's going on.  You can change the tuning if you so choose, as well as create playback loops for yourself.  Neat. Another app tha...

A really neat app that I recommend to music lovers and concert junkies: Bandsintown. Using location services, Bandsintown is able to find bands and artists performing at a venue within your area, alerting you with upcoming showdates. To narrow down the results, it connects to your music library and is able to take note of bands and artists you're interested in. It filters your concert alerts specifically to your bands of interest and music groups similar to them that you may enjoy. A bit similar to Pandora in the sense that it provides you with suggestions based on your musical interests. Bandsintown incorporates social media as well, linking your social media sites and friend lists. It informs you with the upcoming shows your Facebook friends are attending. A great way to meet up with friends and learn about some new groups through others. It also knows which bands you have liked or followed on social media sites and assembles of feed of their posts to ensure that you stay up...

Click here for a list of resources. In my previous post, I discussed how the music industry is projected to evolve significantly due to the many arising digital platforms for marketing means.  Above is an attached link to just 20 of the top social media platforms musicians are using as marketing tools.  From live streaming, to mobile marketing, to popular social media sites we all know of, new methods of promoting and sharing music are constantly emerging. Many of the social media outlets cross over multiple areas of marketing strategies... Facebook has marketing tools for musicians in promotion, Spotify is a platform for sharing music, but YouTube is a merging of these two characteristics.  It's not only a method of posting and sharing music (performances, music videos, recordings) but a method of promotion; there is the option to pay for increased traffic as well as the YouTube's "recommended" concept, inviting others to click on your videos from related c...

Click here to read "How Digital Marketing is Changing the Music Industry" by Alumnify CEO AJ Agrawal In an era where technology is growing exponentially, that means industries as we know them are projected to evolve at the same speed.  Specifically looking at the music industry, the way in which artists promote their business is changing as new platforms are introduced. Social media outlets have shaped the music industry as they add more means in which an artist can advertise.  Previously limited to radio stations, television, and industry press, an artist in today's scene has access to more audiences through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even new digital music platforms like Spotify and Soundcloud.  Even the way that an artist emerges into the scene has changed - looking at artists like Justin Bieber or The Weekend who were initially discovered online.  The popularity growth of an artist is no longer exclusively by word of mouth, but through different...

As a music minor who is amidst college musicians almost daily, I find there to be a common trend among music students: everyone complains about practicing.    The irony is strong with this.  During my days of college visits, every school said that your major should be the one thing you can't stop talking about.  Students in the music building are all there because they want to be.  Their passion led them there.  So why do students hate to practice what they love? While the dread of practicing is a commonality among music students, so is the desire to be great.  No one's idea of "great" is locking themselves away in a cinder-blocked practice room for two hours, scribbling in correct fingerings in their music.  Practice time is tedious and frustrating, and all we want is results.  We want to cut straight to the performing, the fun part.  In the early stages of practicing a new piece, the music hasn't become a part of the artist...