In this day and age, we rely so much on our computers and the general digitization of our world. Our world is so overcome with technology, many of us can’t seem to get through our day without our phone, computer, or GPS; this fact is equally true in our music. Digital music isn’t exactly new in terms of innovations, but the way we utilize our digital music is seemingly in a state of change. Artists have always used music sales, and merchandise sales to pay for their livelihood. Bands would work so hard in the studio to put together a product, then tour to promote the product. These days with the “digitization of music”, there is generally a faster turn around, smaller budgets, and more emphasis on the live performance. We will discuss how the “playlist” has changed music in this day and time and how we can embrace that.

Over the years, music distribution has changed pretty drastically. The physical form of the media we sell has changed, but also the process as to how we release it has changed. The role of the compact disc has decreased from the main form of media, to a secondary “cheaper” option for releasing music. With the CD diminishing in its role we are seeing a drastic increase in people purchasing music digitally. Although it’s cheaper for most musicians, it generally has smaller profit margins than most physical media formats. This means the digital world may have its unexpected upsides.  Vinyl’s resurrection in the past ten years has created a great outlet for musicians and bands.   Vinyl paired with digital copies or subscription services means even more revenue opportunities for these “starving artists.”

With the changes in today’s music distribution, comes a change in how people purchase and listen to the music. With streaming services like Spotify, Rdio, and Rhapsody it is easier now than ever before to get your music to the masses. This sounds great, but it creates very little profit for the band you’re trying to support. With these streaming services, many people have access to almost every artist they could possibly want to listen to, for a small price of $5-$10 a month. This means people are beginning to listen to music based on their mood rather than the artist, and bands are being placed together in a collaborative effort through playlists to help people study, focus, rock out, or anything they are wanting to do with their music. In short, this means full albums are becoming less important and popular singles are emerging victorious.

Before we get all “doom and gloom” on the “playlist age” there are several different positive things to take from this era of music. Bands seem to be putting on better and better concerts than they ever have before. We also are seeing the playlist format arise in concerts as well, with festivals popping up all over the world, bringing tens of hundreds of artists together for one spectacular weekend of music. With digital music taking off so rapidly, bands are hitting the road longer and longer, creating opportunities to see your favorite artists in a city near you!

With more and more bands out there today, there are less and less record deals to go around. This means more and more are going the “independent artist” route as means to getting as much out of their money as you possibly can. Here at Seismic Audio, we believe we offer a quality product at a lesser price. The reason we are able to offer great prices on things, is our ability to offer our products directly. Whether you are a touring musician, a DJ, a church or any other arena in need of professional audio, we believe we have what you need. If you have questions about our products and how they can help you in your musical endeavors, please give us a call at 1-877-347-6423.