For decades now, music in America has encompassed a variety of genres and styles. The cultural impact of music innovators and taste-makers has always been felt beyond their music alone. Our understanding of societal issues, romantic relationships, fashion and film are just some areas of life that are shaped by our musical heroes.
While music’s cultural importance has been felt for many years, new technology has had a profound effect on how American’s enjoy listening to music. Additionally, new technology has heavily influenced who Americans are listening to. Social networking in particular has changed the entire way the music industry functions.
Prior to the advent of social networking sites, individual artists were unable to achieve mass exposure without aligning themselves with a larger enterprise. From the consumers’ perspective, prior to social networks, widely available music was limited to what was generated by producers and record labels.
From the artists’ perspective, Pre-social networks, talented musicians who had been overlooked by the industry for a variety of superficial reasons, had no outlet through witch to reach a wide audience. By posting audio clips on social networks, artists who otherwise would never have had a chance to be heard now have access to the general public and control over their own musical fate.
With the addition of My Space, You Tube, Face book, etc’ any talented musician can post their work for the entire, internet-connected world to enjoy. Quality artists are able to court an audience off the virtue of their talent alone, without needing to compromise their music to the desires of corporate backers.
Music, like many other aspects of American life, has been democratized by the power of social networking. The effectiveness of these sites enables exposure to and for new artists to be achieved organically, via ‘word of mouth’ or more accurately, clicks of links.