6 Reasons Why Now is the Best Time for Musicians
A Guest Post by Meresha
Today is probably the best and most exciting time to be a musician.
There’s a lot of negativity these days about the music industry. Music revenue is down, CD sales are disappearing, people are streaming instead of buying music, etc.
Compared to the past, though, there are at least 6 reasons why these times are better than any other in history for musicians.
1. Fans can find you
With Soundcloud, Spotify, YouTube and other online sites, there are many channels for new fans to find your music. It used to be that almost the only way to be heard was for a record company to sign you and promote your song over the radio.
2. You can communicate with Fans
With the continuing boom in social media, you have unfiltered access to most music buyers in the world. You can find folks in the smallest niches and communicate with them directly. In the past, independent artists didn’t have much access to what was a very limited number of media outlets.
3. You can be the record company
You can decide what music to put out when. If you want to bring back the Acid Bass, as I try to do on a recent song, you can. No longer are to subject to the filter of label executives trying to force you to be the next Ariana Grande or Beyoncé.
4. You can record with world class sound
With a software program, a computer and some limited equipment, you can record world-class music including the most sophisticated compositions. Yourself. In your bathroom. Gone are the days when you always had to have a huge budget for studio time, producers, engineers, managers, etc.
5. You can distribute internationally quickly
There are a range of distributors of music such as Tunecore, which I use, CD Baby and others that will get your music to iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and dozens of other of digital stores within days. Now you don’t have to produce physical products, ship them internationally and worry about returns.
6. You control your destiny
The days when someone like Clive Davis would discover and develop you are gone. Almost all artists today can, and have to, control their own destiny. Even the most famous ones. It means connecting with fans on social media, at concerts, through regular email and a few thousand other things. While challenging, it can be done.
If you expect someone to hand you superstardom on a platter, dream on.
If you want to build a sustainable life as an artist, and have a bit of talent, it can be done. No one will say it is easy, but then what is?
Rock on!
What do you think?
Let me know. You can follow my own musical adventure at Meresha.com