In many ways, social media has benefited the music industry greatly. Users can find new artists and new music genres to relate to. Besides social media’s connection to the music industry, how does it affect the music itself? Does it ruin music for users?
Social media has pressured its users into conforming to whatever’s trending at the moment as opposed to what’s considered actually “good”. By siding with music that is “well-received”, it usually means listeners disregard a piece of work that may not be as popular. Thanks to social media’s effect on music, people seek social validation from others depending on what artists they listen to or who they feel they should listen to. This limits the exploration of new mainstream music and the constant replaying of the same artists.
Social media also tends to overplay music which makes songs feel less relatable for the listener. By hearing the same part of a song constantly, listeners become bored or annoyed with songs that once used to be enjoyable to them. Because of this, songs begin to feel ordinary and the emotional connection once attached to them seems to diminish the song’s value to listeners. As opposed to if social media didn’t play the role it does, music wouldn’t feel as overplayed or just like every other song.
Due to social media users’ perspectives or preferences of what music should be like, it can push artists to focus heavily on creating a “perfect” song rather than letting their music speak for itself. Nowadays, listeners judge based on their personal experiences and want music to feel that way but this leads to songs not feeling as genuine. It creates a space where the artists write about something they don’t feel rather than their own experiences and emotions.
In conclusion, social media has both positive and negative effects on the music industry. While it continues to promote prestigious labels and mainstream artists, it devalues smaller artists’ work. It also allows for the exploration of new styles and ideas but it also limits it at the same time due to users seeking social validation of relating to the same popularized artists. Listeners need to be mindful of social media’s potential drawbacks regarding music and actively seek out diverse music beyond the most trending content.
