The music scene has evolved significantly over time, with different genres taking turns in the spotlight.So has technology in the field of music creation.A lot of technologies have been created for creating music, so that musicians, especially self-starters, no longer need a full house of equipment or a huge team of people around before they start creating great sounds.
The listening experience for consumers has not been left out either. Music is now more accessible, cheaper, and more enjoyable with the aid of changes in technology.
Below are some of the most incredible ways technology has boosted the way we listen to and create good music.
Accessibility
songs can be released today and listened to the same day with the aid of streaming services. The rise of the internet, followed by the various streaming platforms, has made songs more accessible than they used to be. Now you don’t need your favorite songs to be accessible at a record store before you can get there and purchase the CD. Now you can hear about the release of a song over the internet and immediately visit YouTube or your favorite streaming platform and listen to it. You wouldn’t have to miss out on anything or wait too long for it.
Reduced cost of listening to music
These days, you could visit any streaming platform and listen to as many songs as you want. In most African countries, some streaming platforms even allow you to create your own playlist for as little as $2 per month.There would literally be no end to the number of songs you could listen to on this platform for that price.On some platforms, there are even options to listen to music absolutely free of charge. Before, people were limited to CD players. Buying an album on CD would cost between $10 and $20 on average for each album. Which is quite a stretch compared to the cheaper options streaming platforms offer thanks to changes in technology.
Reduced cost of creating music
Digital audio workstations (DAW) have drastically changed the way music is created. They are like a digital representation of a physical recording studio. So you don’t have to spend a lot of money on expensive studio equipment as a beginning artist when everything is available to you digitally. All you need is a laptop and access to this software to start recording tracks and mixing them up as you please. Another technology that has made making music cheap is the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), which helps you create your own sound. You don’t need a whole band of drummers or guitarists around to create a great sound for your music. With this digital tool, you have the creative freedom to make great sounds for your music with musical instruments you wouldn’t naturally be able to buy or use in real life. So you don’t need to employ special people with skills in this musical instrument to use them; you could just make your sounds yourself.
Multitrack record creation
Around 1945 and the moments around it, recording a song was different. You required the entire band—the lead singer and backup singers—to sing at the same time and with the precision required.You couldn’t stop for a while to rest, or else you would have to start from the beginning. The thought of that could be draining. But with the advent of multi-track recording, the beat could be made separately, even in another country, while the song is created separately, and the artist could choose to rest after each stanza. At the end of the day, all of this could still be joined together to create an amazing song. Thanks to changes in musical technology, the producer could even decide to change which area the backup singers came in without necessarily having everyone record again.
Ease of creating new music
Creating music has definitely been made very easy. DAW and MIDI technologies make it not only cheaper but also easier to create music.You could be on your laptop creating sounds with musical instruments you do not have the skills to use in real life, switching the sounds at will until you get the perfect one for the song you are trying to create. You could also record your own song and edit it with the sounds you created using the DAW technology. This change is perfect for independent artists that cannot afford expensive sound engineers to create songs by themselves during their growing stages.
Greater opportunities for independent artists
Selling your songs and getting an audience have never been as easy as they are now. With the availability of different social media platforms, musicians no longer have to spend so much money on PR to get attention to their music. By simply posting short videos with your song on Instagram, TikTok, and other available platforms, you could immediately start growing a fan base and increase the total number of people listening to your songs. Artists also do not have to spend so much money putting their songs on CD and selling them. By simply uploading your songs on streaming platforms, you could start making money from people listening to your music all over the world. Entering the music industry and selling your music is now less of a struggle, especially if you are pumping out great content.
Greater music listening experience
The creation of earbuds and airpods, portable speakers, and earphones has greatly improved the music listening experience. You could now listen to your songs privately even when you are in a public place, and you don’t have to carry around a heavy device just to listen to music. Streaming platforms such as Spotify now allow you to create your own playlists of songs of your choice without the hassle of crashing a CD, as was done in the past. You could have a playlist for your happy mood, a sad mood, and for different experiences, all easily accessible on your phone. Listening to music was never this great, and with time, it would definitely even improve.
Conclusion
Technology has definitely improved how we create and consume music. The greatest impact of this technology to the music industry could definitely be in the use of DAW and MIDI for creation of music and various streaming platforms for consuming this music. Now you don’t need a full house of equipment and a full team of people creating music as well. We don’t have to wait for weeks for new songs to be accessible in our areas and we can listen to them almost always free of charge. Just like genres of music are changing, so is the technology around music and it definitely promises to get better with time.
