“I haven’t put out an album in 15 years. What’s changed?”
If you’re asking this question, let me say congrats on getting back into the music world; welcome to a brand new game. Limp Bizkit and Creed are no longer feuding (or making music). Will Smith has stopped rehashing 70′s disco hits. And most kids these days think that “Everlast” is the name of a battery.
On the bright side, a few things will feel familiar. Eminem is on the radio. Evil corporations rule the large live event and ticketing infrastructures. Most music is made using any combination of the same 12 notes. And artists still create music wanting people to hear it.
Lastly, the size of that artist’s audience (as always) depends on some combination of talent, charisma, smarts, hard work, and luck. That part of the music biz should feel familiar too.
But here are ten big things that HAVE changed about the music industry over the last fifteen years:
1. Monetization is about experience, not sales
A decade ago, monetizing music was still mostly about CD sales and publishing royalties.
The formats have changed, of course, and we’ve seen the dominant trend shift from CD sales to MP3 downloads to streaming (via services like YouTube and Spotify) — but the central point is this: monetizing music is no longer about convincing a fan to purchase something.
For many people, ownership is old news. Today it’s about the social aspect of music. Now you make money when you enable your fans to do something WITH your music, such as:
* sharing it with their friends on social media
* adding it to a Spotify playlist
* creating a video on YouTube that uses one of your songs
* and more
The lesson: Don’t be stingy with your music. Let people have it, love it, share it, and use it.
2. Media ain’t …read more
Source: The DIY Musician
