What's the point of a music video that nobody watches? I'll be delving deeper into music distribution to explore the impact of social media, marketing, and production on the success of music videos, as well as how I will apply some tips I learned to distribute and get audience engagement.
In the age of social media, you can see that the most successful artists and music videos really depend on how widespread their media reach is. Artists and record labels use Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and especially, YouTube, to reach listeners from all over the world. And while the idea of robots stealing your data can be concerning- algorithms that track your online likes and dislikes actually help music distributors find their target audiences, and can help them distribute their music to the right listeners. I will be using social media to interact with my audience and get their involvement in creating my music video, by doing things such as posting casting calls on Instagram.
For less popular artists too, Instagram and TikTok can be crazily beneficial. Upcoming artists can go viral by chance, just because a 10-second clip of their song resonated with viewers. Lyn Lapid, a teenager writing music in her room who went viral on TikTok for her song "Producer Man", is now a successful artist who continues to promote her music on these apps. Below is a music video she produced for another one of her songs that went viral online.
CDs and Vinyls still become apparent in the music distribution scene today, but they're less common. These formats marked the transition to the digital revolution. Online videos offered better audio and video quality, and consumers were able to get music videos at the press of a button, and their only fee was watching an ad. The distribution of CDs and Vinyls is more expensive, and buyers of those types of formats are usually big fans of that artist or collectors.
Platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube enable artists to share their music videos instantly with the whole world. The shift from owning a CD to watching the video on a 2" by 7" screen has changed how fans consume their music and will continue to change as the music industry continues to evolve. You can even see clips of music videos on Spotify now, an app originally made for just listening.
Like Lyn Lapid, more and more artists can showcase their artistry and music online too. This technology has empowered independent artists to showcase their work without the need for financial backing and can help them play catch-up with big music corporations.
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