The music industry has had constant growth for the last 10 years. Total revenues have been increasing and streaming services have majorly contributed to it.
Over the last 10 years, the music industry has undergone an amazing transformation in software, distribution, and instruments – find the best keyboards across a wide range of disciplines. Beginners in the industry tore down old hierarchies and came up with fresh ideas. Artists gained a whole new degree of power over their passion for music.
Technological companies were not left behind either as they reinvented industrial strategies and the business of music started making more money. The dynamics between artists, fans, and executives in the industry will never be the same. This is thanks to years of disruptions, and the next few years in the industry will inevitably take cues from it.
Technological Improvements in the Music Industry
The music industry is a multi-billion dollar business that has impacted the lives of many. People experience music differently. Some are addicted to it while others couldn’t care less about it.
When it comes to technological advancements, the industry has significantly changed. Digital music distribution, for instance, is an important part of sharing music. Partnership with music distributors enables you to do music promotion on various platforms. You only need to upload the music and get it delivered globally to various demographics.
Let’s now look at some of the advancements that have changed the music industry.
1. Digital Software
The introduction of digital software was the biggest game-changer in the industry. The software enabled musicians to write, record, and produce quality songs from anywhere.
Programs like Logic have exciting effects that help to improve the quality of music. Apple computers have built-in software that can be used in home studios. This is how today’s top artists began their careers in music.
Here are some of the best free music-making programs on PC and Mac:
Waveform free. This free digital audio workstation is a powerful music-making tool. It works on all platforms and provides all features for recording and mixing songs.
Audacity. It’s the best free audio editing software. It also acts as a great piece of free recording software.
Studio One Prime. This is the best free music production software for audio recording. You can also use it when performing simple mixing tasks.
2. Digital Streaming Software
This was one of the biggest advancements in the music industry. It enables music lovers to listen to songs from anywhere and at any time. Websites like MySpace and YouTube were some of the early adopters of streaming. It’s also through such platforms that artists were able to do their music promotion and get recognized. It helped to build their brand in the industry.
Free music for YouTube, for instance, enables artists to upload their music for free. This way, users across the world can access the music at the click of a button.
Services like Spotify and Apple Music have become popular and affordable. They have changed the way we listen to songs. Below are ways in which the internet and consumer trends have affected pop song formats:
- Customized streaming has changed the industry by arranging songs to tell a story. On-demand streaming gives you the liberty to change song order and to build custom playlists. Sometimes artists create albums that leave these decisions to their fans.
- Digitization makes songs more diverse. This enables artists to reach audiences by targeting a specific demographic.
3. The Smartphone Technology
Smartphone technology has significantly changed the music industry. In 2021, the smartphone music production market size was estimated to be at $73,341. This market size is projected to go up to $78,609 by the end of 2022.
Factors like the use of artificial intelligence will increase the footprint of the market. The increasing demand for cloud-based software is also set to boost the market.
Music production is not the only section that has been shaped by technological advancements. There have also been changes in the way audiences consume music, from holding music libraries to buying concert tickets with a few clicks.
Brands like Spotify and Apple Music are now leading in music streaming. Users can now listen to music wherever they go for hours on their mobile phones. We may not know how much simpler this can get. But if the last 10 years are anything to go by, then innovation is just around the corner.
4. The MP3 Technology
Mp3 technology has changed the way we carry around music. It has given rise to innovations like Mp3 players, iPod, and P2P sharing services.
Mp3 music players use media formatting technology to transform existing audio files to Mp3 formats. The Mp3 format is made of audio files that have been compressed into very small files. The compression is achieved without interfering with the audio‘s second quality.
In some cases based on the capacity of a music player, you can fit thousands of songs within its confines. This technology allows you to listen to your favorite songs no matter where you are. And as far as music taste is concerned, you can add more songs to your Mp3 music player collection when your taste in music expands or changes.
5. Auto-Tune
This is a pitch correction effect used to modify off-pitch notes. It also provides a robotic sound to the vocals and is the most used effect in pop music.
Autotune is beneficial when it comes to the time spent in the studio during music production. It allows human errors in songs to be turned around and made to be tweaked to the nearest semitone. As a result, you get pitch-perfect vocal performances.
Music artists only need to do two to three takes and leave the rest of the work to producers. That’s if there are pitch corrections to be made with auto-tune.
This technology also reduces the time spent in studios as it gives producers an easy time. It’s better than spending the whole day in the studio trying to correct errors during production.
Final Take Away
The music industry has changed due to the integration of technology into its processes. Technology has made music production easier and more modernized. As such, music producers need the right technology to provide quality music and to grow in their careers.