R&P Post 15: The role of the Internet in Distributing and Marketing Music and Artists

Hiya! Welcome to another research and planning post! This time I will be researching the role that the internet plays in the distribution and marketing of music and artists. Enjoy!

Digital Distribution:
Digital distribution is the delivery or distribution of types of media content, including audio, video games, video and software. This term is generally used to describe the distribution that takes place over an online delivery medium, most commonly the internet. Media content that is distributed online can be downloaded or streamed onto a digital device and typically consists of films, television programmes, books, music, video games and software.

Examples of digital distribution:
Digital distribution of music can be found on websites and applications such as...

• Spotify: website that allows users to stream music online.
• iTunes: app where you can download music for a fixed price.
• SoundCloud: website that enables users to record, upload and share their own sounds that they have produced.
• Vimeo: website on which users can upload, share and watch videos.
• YouTube: website on which users can upload, share and watch videos as well as like or dislike them, rate them, comment on them, etc.

All of these sites and applications allow people to discover new music constantly and to listen to their favourite music artists very easily as they can simply just stream the music they want online, usually for free.

Digital Marketing:
Digital marketing is a term used for the marketing of products/services using digital technologies, primarily through the internet. This type of marketing started to become prominent in the 1990s and has become one of the most popular forms of marketing through the 2000s to today. As more and more people use a variety of media platforms today, meaning that they just use digital devices and services without physically visiting shops, digital marketing schemes are becoming more and more popular and efficient.

Where can you find digital marketing?

• Smartphones and mobile devices, such as laptops, iPads, tablets, etc.: having a mobile device with you means that you can access new music and new artists all the time. Apps like Spotify allow you to stream music and to discover new artists that you have never heard of before, showing how these apps are essentially a form of advertising within themselves.
• Video advertising: websites such as YouTube and Vimeo allow anyone to create a video and to upload it to the site for free for millions of people across the world to watch. If someone becomes very popular on a site like these it can easily kickstart their career as a music artist.
• Social media: social media is one of the most common if not the most common forms of online marketing, particularly for music artists. Artists will use social media to connect with their fans, running live videos on websites like Facebook and live Q&A sessions on Twitter. By essentially talking to their fans on social media, their fans feel connected to them and come to love them even more. Social media is also used by artists' mangers to build a hype around the artist, particularly when they are just about to release a new single or album or announce a new tour. This can create a huge online buzz around the artist which can reach anyone in the world who is connected to social media. This can also mean that social media enables people to discover new artists, making fan-bases larger and stronger, gaining more and more support for the artist.

Example of an artist who use digital distribution and digital marketing:

The Vamps

The Vamps are a British pop/rock band who formed in 2011. When they first began making music together, they uploaded videos to YouTube in which they sang covers of other songs. It was in late 2012 that they first gained fame when they were signed to Mercury Records and toured with One Direction and McFly. In August 2013 they released the single 'Can We dance' which received over 1 million views on YouTube in 2 weeks and by April 2014 they had released their debut album. They have now released two more albums, have had 5 tours in the UK, the U.S, including one world tour and another upcoming world tour this year in 2017. Over the years they have collected a huge worldwide fan base, and as of September 2017, they have 3.89 million followers on their Twitter account.

They are an example of just how prominent digital distribution as well as digital marketing is in the music industry today. They achieved global fame through digital distribution (originally by posting videos on YouTube) and ever since have been promoted and advertised through digital marketing. This includes The Vamps' website and their Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Google Plus profiles.

What I have learnt from this task is just how prominent the online world is in the music industry today. Both digital distribution and digital marketing are key in the music industry. With the internet artists are able to upload songs to various different websites and applications for free, available for millions of people across the world to see. This then allows professionals in the music industry to spot new talent which can see an unknown artist become internationally famous. When their career starts they are then marketed through online methods, including video advertising on different media platforms, such as YouTube, social media, and direct online advertising to digital devices, particularly smartphones.