Just like anything else, the music industry seems to operate in cycles. Talent was discovered and promoted by a record label and distributed through certain media outlets. But, with recent events in globalization, such as mergers of large media companies and higher levels of media convergence, the game changed. The era of the “boy bands” and “girl bands” seemed to epitomize the 90’s. Massive media outlets would assemble a team of hand picked girls and boys, write their songs, synthesize the music, and spend millions on promotion. Music became a blatant commodity to be bought, sold, and synthesized in a lab. And because the conglomerates controlled the airwaves, it was nearly impossible for emerging talents to get their songs played.
One of the great conquests of the web 2.0 movements was the invention of You Tube. Artists could now be recognized and with a loyal core around the world, everyday people were becoming over night celebrities all on their own. Sure in some cases raw talent wasn’t necessarily a factor, but the sheer power of You Tube (a free participatory service) is astounding. Especially in the case of “Soulja Boy”, a remixed 50-cent beat, a catchy dance, and next thing you know they’re climbing the charts. Maybe there’s hope for the little guy after all.
No comments:
Post a Comment