Today's Musicians, Song Creators Or Content Creators?

Music illustration (Instagram @coldplay)

The dynamics that occur in the music industry are not only about competition in the chart or how many awards are collected. The era and technology are also challenging factors for musicians.

Every era, the challenges are certainly different. In the analog era, only certain people can access recordings to gigs on television. For decades, TV and radio are still the main players in terms of music promotion.

In the 2010s, piracy became a common enemy for harming labels and musicians. In this era, cassette lovers may often get outdated ridicule. But in recent years, having a cassette or CD of music can actually be an elegant flexing method. It all depends on the times.

In today's time, the challenges are different. The issue of piracy is no longer the main enemy, but the cause is not necessarily a positive thing. Now works can be distributed digitally, although the creative wages given are arguably very minimal.

Not to mention the convenience of technology and platforms, so that everyone can now record and upload their own songs as singles, EP until the album is full. The trend continues and changes, such as there is no room to enjoy beautiful works more casually because many new and quality appear, which are a shame to be missed.

Instead of relying on television, musicians now have challenges to exist on social media. It's not the most important thing, but echoes created on digital platforms certainly have an impact on the relevance of their work.

Those who succeeded in synergizing their abilities as music creators and content on social media also felt the positive impact. Now, instead of only distributing so-called gigs, social media is a means of effective interaction.

However, social media is only a storefront to share the content and identity of an artist or in this case, a musician. Work remains the main commodity that needs to be marketed in a way that is relevant to the times.