Over the last few decades or so, technology has had a huge impact on the music industry. And while it’s true that technology has made it easier for people to create music, it has also made it much harder for them to get heard.
Record Labels Are Gone
Back in the day, if you wanted to be a musician, all you needed was a guitar, an amplifier, and a talent. And if you were good enough, you would get discovered by someone who had money and power, and they would put up some money to record your song. And then once your song was recorded, they would send it to radio stations across the country, and the radio station managers would play your song, and you would become famous.
And that was how it worked for decades. But now, of course, everything is different. Now, there are record labels. And these record labels exist solely to find new artists, record their songs, and then try to sell those songs to the public. And the way they do this is by sending out a team of people called a “Recording Contractor” to work with the artist. These contractors will arrange for a recording studio to be paid for by the label, and they will tell the artist what songs to sing, and they will arrange for the songs to be recorded. After the songs are recorded, the contractors will arrange for the songs to be mixed, and mastered, and put on an album. And then, at this point, the album will be given to a “promoter” who will arrange for the album to be distributed to radio stations across the country. And then…
The Rest Is Up To You!
You see, the hard part is over. The promoter will take care of the rest. He or she will get your album into the hands of the radio stations, and then it’s up to you to get your name and your music out there.
But wait. There’s more!
Nowadays, you don’t even have to be good enough to get discovered. You see, technology has made it possible for anyone with an idea, and a little talent, and a lot of motivation can create a song and record it themselves, and then distribute it online for the world to hear. This has led to a new problem. Today, it is not only important to get your music heard, it is also important for your music to be heard above all the other noise on the internet. And to do this, you need to have a “Soundcloud” account. Soundcloud allows you to upload and share short (less than 10-minutes) audio recordings. The way you use Soundcloud is similar to the way you would use a social media site like Facebook or Twitter. The difference is that with Soundcloud, the purpose of the site is to allow people to listen to and share the sounds that you are creating. And if you create interesting sounds, and you get enough people using Soundcloud, then you will start to get discovered.
The Common Man Connection
Technology has also given the common man the power to create his or her own type of powerful music. In fact, with the right type of training, anyone can do it. All you need is a few basic tools, some determination, and the desire to learn.
With these three ingredients, you can create your own unique brand of powerful music. You don’t have to be a world-class musician to do this. In fact, in many cases, it will actually be counter-productive if you are a world-class musician.
Why? Simply because the skills required to produce world-class music are often in direct conflict with the skills required to create music that is both powerful and impactful.
The Transcending Connection
What tends to happen is that people who are skilled at creating music that is both powerful and impactful tend to avoid musicians who rely on musical skill alone. These people tend to gravitate towards artists who use other means to create music. For example, they may enjoy listening to an elite musician, but not follow him or her around like a puppy dog.
These people will instead, seek out the musician who has the ability to transcend his or her musical ability and instead focuses on other areas of their lives. These people will seek out the artist who can touch their soul, and make an indelible imprint there. These people are the ones who enjoy the music that is enjoyed by the elite, and also enjoys the music that has stood the test of time.