The digital age has changed the way music Is shared

With the rise of social media, it’s becoming easier and easier to share your music. From Spotify to TikTok, the digital age has transformed the opportunities for expression, and how they’re shared.

Our lives revolve around the internet, with the average adult spending around 3 ½ hours a day using the internet or phones, according to a study in 2019 conducted by Zenith Analytics. 

Though it sometimes has downfalls, social media has made it much easier to share something. Instead of pitching to a local record store or radio station to play a musician's music, it’s now possible to post it on the internet with the click of a button.

Before these innovations in technology, most kids could only dream about being a musician. And not a singing-in-the-school-talent-show kind of musician, but one playing sold out shows and recognized around the country or world. Not only would one need the right exposure, but they’d also need a bunch of equipment that’s unaffordable to most. Today, with musical capabilities built into devices, people are able to download a few apps and share their music for the world to see.

For musician Rowan Clark, 12 the digital age has changed the way his music is shared and created as well. 

"When I record, I usually sing one line at a time to get every single line exactly how I want it. Social media has obviously been a huge help getting my music out to potential listeners," Rowan, 12 said.

Not only can people express themselves effortlessly, but they can receive monetary support for it too. Most social media platforms tend to pay their top creators, but appSpotify and Apple Music are curated for musicians. According to Spotify, they do not pay artist royalties by a per-stream rate; the royalty payments that artists receive vary according to differences in how their music is streamed, or the agreements they have with labels or distributors. In contrast, according to Apple Music, a play value varies by subscription plan and region, but averaged $0.01 in 2020. Just by making a post about a musician, sharing their music, or just listening to it, you are supporting their career.

Though the positives and negatives of the digital age’s impact on the world overall can be debated, it's hard to deny the fact that it's easier than ever to pursue a career based in self-expression.