The Effect of Music Discovery Websites on the Music Industry - Part 2

This increase of output showed up mostly in the growing creation of mixtapes, or collections of songs that are given out for free to promote an artist or to simply satisfy a desire for music from the artist’s fans.  Since these tapes are free, artists are able to legally use instrumentals from other artists to make their own version of the song, or a remix; another form of hip-hop music that flourished with the growth of these blogs.  These methods of music creation were essential to artists of all levels, both to gain new fans and to stay relevant to fans already acquired.

In addition to the growing desire for music consumption, and the expansion of tastes of an ever-increasing audience, these blogs also were helpful to the music industry because of the loyalty they created between fan and artist.  Previously, artists were hardly more than an idol who every few years put a new album on shelves, came to nearby cities to do a concert, or made talk show appearances.  As blogs became popular and their usefulness realized, the gap between superstar musician and civilian music consumer was narrowed, creating a relationship beyond an admiration for music.  As more and more music gets shared, a deeper understanding and familiarity for the artist’s style and talent leads to a certain loyalty to the artist, and “a base of loyal fans means having a core group of customers who are nearly guaranteed to buy your new CD or show up for your live performance” (Lathrop 1999).  In some cases, following an artist as they increase in fame to superstardom can bring on a sense of almost parental pride, stemming from seeing their success and being a fan since the beginning.  As artists released more music to more people visiting these blog and discovery websites, more loyalty was formed and thus more money was put back into the music industry.

Quite possibly the biggest benefactors of these sites were undiscovered aspiring artists who now had a massive audience to release their music to.  Formerly confined to playing small, local shows and building an audience incredibly slowly, one very popular track shared on a blog could quadruple a band’s or artist’s fan base in a week.  This sudden popularity and exposure is vital to getting the attention of record labels, which are “less likely to audition unsolicited tapes or to take a chance on an untested artist.  Established companies are looking for artists who have already proven themselves in the marketplace” (Lathrop 1999).