Music is such a whirlwind industry that is incredibly saturated; especially now that music is so much more easily accessible and can be found online and often can be downloaded for free.
With places such as YouTube and SoundCloud we are able to upload our work whenever, with minimal time and effort and it is left open for the whole world to find and enjoy.
So is the old bricks and mortar way of selling records, in shops, a thing of the past or will it make a come back? For artists, certainly, the way forwards is digital.
As an unsigned musician there are ways of course to create your own music and have your own CDs burned but once you have them you need to know how to best sell and share them.
You can use cd manufacturing and disperse them to any record labels or venues that you would hope to perform at; there are certainly benefits to having a tangible record in your hand.
The old school musicians and music lovers thrive on the old fashioned record stores, where they can find original artwork and enjoy the quality of a record in CD players or record players. It makes for a really enjoyable hobby and can be truly a great way to learn more about the best musicians of our time.
If you have studied music or have been educated on the subject, then you’re likely to appreciate all sides of the music industry and the power of the digital world. Music found and bought online may not be as expensive as a record; a lot of smaller artists offer free downloadable music which is a great option.
However, it is known that the sales of records in stores have diminished incredibly, leaving worries that the old fashioned stores may need survive long beyond the next decade. The echoing sound of heavy metal in your living room may now be projected through a laptop, not the traditional vinyls.
It is argued that digital music cannot provide the same depth or sound quality as a record produced onto CD and created within a music studio but it is also argued that the apps and programs of today found on the likes of Apple laptops, can recreate similar if not better quality of music because of the way it is created; but this of course is subjective and also it could be argued that the quality of headphones or speakers used will enhance or diminish the quality of the sound.
It is surely the case however, that digital music is seeing a surge of popularity for unsigned musicians. They are free to create their own music, without dustristiction and they are able to then promote their work without having to be signed, it is certainly preferable for them.
The choice is ours; there are benefits within both types, but sadly there is not a one size fits all but one thing still remains… music will never lose its popularity or space in our hearts.
