Post 2: The role of the internet in the music industry

In the 21st Century, the 'I-Generation', virtually all artists and bands use the internet to establish and promote their brand. This also allows them to synergise their brand across different platforms in order to sell their brand, music and merchandise.

It would be very hard for any artist to promote themselves without the internet. Music use to only be available in CDs, vinyls and cassettes. However, the internet now gives artists tonnes of opportunities to promote their music. With YouTube, the most popular website for music videos, Spotify and Apple music, the most popular music streaming services - the growth of an artist is heavily influenced by the internet. 

Also, with the power of social media in today's society, artists' social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram are cleverly structured promote their content and present snippets of the artists' personal life which fans value, as they feel closer to their favourite artist as well as promoting their music and merchandise through digital convergence such as hyperlinks to really draw the audience in and engage with the artist's brand.

STREAMING: 

-YouTube gives audiences the opportunity to stream music videos, albums, songs and remixes, for free when online the website/app.

- YouTube also recently started a streaming service where you can listen to music and watch music videos offline for £9.99 a month.

- This creates another platform where artists can sell their music, however it also allows the music video to be shown, giving audio-visual content for the audience and encapsulating the identity of the artist.

-Spotify and Apple Music are the two of the most popular music streaming services.

- They both have a subscription of £9.99 a month.

 - Artists earn revenue through streams and their music label gains a percentage cut of this.

These services are very important amongst pop artists since this is how the majority of their audience listen to their main form of content, music. It is essential that artists create this online presence in order to reach broader audiences around the world and grow a following in what they're primarily doing, music.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Artists' social media platforms  are cleverly structured promote their content and present snippets of the artists' personal life which engages fans, creating a loyal audience. 

I looked at Taylor Swift's Instagram, a mainstream and popular artist in pop music:

On her Instagram, she has a hyperlink in her bio which takes you to a website where you can purchase her song. This digital convergence maintains her loyal audience and further pushes her brand out. On the link, there is a link to her merchandise website: 

This button then takes you to her merchandise website, where her branding is further conveyed, pink and blue clouds everywhere, where one can buy her hoodies, t-shirts and phone case. This digital convergence is cleverly structured because from simply looking at her Instagram, one could end up buying her products and investing their money into her brand. 

WEBSITE:
I looked at Dua Lipa's website, another mainstream artist in the pop music scene:

As soon as fans click on the website, there is a persuasive message which offers the chance to win a signed Polaroid. This creates excitement for the audience however, by clicking on the link to enter her competition, which is on Spotify, they will probably end up listening to her music in the same moment as well. This digital convergence is used to promote her music and create excitement with her fan base. 

At the top of the website, there is a social bar where all of Dua Lipa's social media platforms are linked. This allows fans to engage and interact with her as an artist. It also allows her to promote her brand and identity to different platforms, maximising her audience reach. 

Her Instagram is linked back to her website. This synergy across platforms maximises her audience reach allows her to grow a broader audience due to the different platforms you can find her on. The fact her Instagram links back to her website, gives audiences easy access to her website, her creative 'hub', where everything is accessible on, allowing them to fully engage with the artist. 

Websites are also essential in showing what the artist is up to and if they have any events coming up. On Ariana Grande's website, another famous pop star, there is a page dedicated to her upcoming events:

Here, Ariana Grande's website gives her the opportunity to showcase her tour which is where a lot of her money will be generated from. The ticket buttons take you directly to Ticketmaster, where fans can immediately purchase them. This again, allows her fans to fully engage with the artist and invest their money into her content.

INITIAL PLANS AND IDEAS 
Through researching the role of the internet in the music industry, I have gained valuable insight of the importance of how artists promote their content to their fans. This has inspired me to create a social media page for my artist and include links to it on my website. On my social media, I will include links to my website so both platforms act synergistically. I will also create my website as a hub where fans can access all my content, along with tour dates with buttons to buy tickets, exclusive behind the scenes footage and merchandise.