Musicians or influencers? What artists have to do to stand out
It’s no secret that in the modern music world, artists are now doing promotional work on social media in order to stay relevant and reach their audience. But why is this now expected of artists, and is this true to traditional artistic expression and authenticity?
Well, in short, because everyone else is. It’s a really positive thing that it’s easier now than ever before to become a musician and explore composing your own music, especially in our beloved dance music scene. The volume of people does create more intense competition than previously seen, though, and it may be that when the ‘big artists’ are seen to be using social media as a promotional tool, others feel they have to do that too, as it’s the ‘done thing’.
When so many others are doing it, it’s really challenging to avoid, as social media is a great place to have your voice heard and shout yourself out. But simply put, when everyone’s doing the same thing, it doesn’t necessarily always come across as authentic. Tom Triggs wrote that “most frustrating is that time that could otherwise be spent honing your craft gets used to concoct engaging thumb-stopping content”, viewing it as “a timely and often distracting necessity”.
This brings us on to the question of authenticity – is this the ‘right’ thing to do? Certainly some would argue that it should be about the music and that the tracks should speak for themselves. However, DJ Love counters this, saying, “Music lovers and promoters have discovered me and my mixes that would’ve most likely never known I existed if I’d gone a purely traditional route." He is someone who’s seen great success in using TikTok as a platform to promote himself but has successfully retained his authenticity as an underground artist while doing so, a fine balance and an important skill in getting the best of both worlds in that situation.
It’s hard to “get it right” and find a method that everyone finds agreeable when it comes to internet promotion. There are certainly artists out there that can be argued to make ‘cringe’ or ‘spam’ content, especially when referencing general social media trends to promote their music. Fred Again (above) has been doing a series of Twitch livestreams over the past couple of years to show his fans the creative process behind making music, listen to demos and share fans' tracks, and even do a recent mixing session with Oppidan and Hamdi, which demonstrates an original take on internet promotion, as it’s more community-based as a platform and Fred can just be himself as the camera’s on for hours at a time, making this a more authentic method of online promotion that fans may be able to connect with more.
It’s completely understandable that people want to give themselves the best possible chance to get their tracks heard by trying to reach as many people as possible, but it’s definitely a stark contrast from the white label days where you’d hear a tune in the dance, have no idea who it was by, and it was just good stuff. Forbes believes “social media promotion is a must for musicians”, and maybe it is in the present day, but it is fair to say that music has developed so far until the 21st century without it. Tom Triggs said that "being a musician is no longer enough in its own right”, which many feel shouldn’t be the case.
I think in this case it’s important to be original. The motives behind social media promos are completely valid, so as with the music being made, people should be striving to just be themselves and be original. That organic feeling is often what takes people the furthest and what crowds can resonate with and relate to the most. It’s hard to not be sucked into the ‘content machine’, but as long as it’s thoughtful and original, then social media undeniably represents an incredibly powerful tool for up-and-coming musicians to get their music out there.
Drop your thoughts on this topic to isaac@transistoruk.co.uk & we may feature it as a discussion point next month!