The Newsletter You Didn't Know You Needed
Angst of a Creative: Feeling Like a Slave to the Algorithm
You just stepped into the HAUS OF VIBES, where the vibes are bold, the beats are fresh, and the culture is our dance floor.
When the world shifts…
I can admit that this makes me miss the days where I used to carry my Sony CD player everywhere I went. It was with me as much as my cell phone is with me now.
In the early 2000s artists actually had their songs make the charts because physical albums could be counted. It would even make sense if artists back then were compensated more than the current ones. Imagine Michael Jackson being the King of Pop during this time.
It really is a shame that the people who give us the dopamine-filled, adrenaline rushing, tearjerking music have to face so many obstacles. From big record labels to back-biting music execs to contracts and music royalties.
It gets clearer everyday why not only music artists, but even many other creatives and entertainers, choose to be independent. There’s always someone who wants to profit from their talent and hard work. Aside from my love of vinyls, I’m starting to understand why vinyl record sales are surging these days.
I can remember playing CDs so long that I was heartbroken when I didn’t have extra batteries because the CD player would die. The only thing worse than a dead CD player was a scratched CD. The digital revolution sure did a number on the music industry.
The Digital Revolution
Do you remember this iPod commercial?
When Steve Jobs introduced the first iPod in 2001, he presented it by taking out of his pocket and saying, “The iPod. 1000 songs in your pocket.”
A lot has happened since 2008, though. Instagram and Twitter were invented. As industries were becoming obsolete during a technological shift and the oncoming of the worse economic recession since the Great Depression, companies were already unequipped to handle what was to come.
Although Apple was a late contender in the digital music game, they are responsible for being shift in the music industry. Apple created a legacy for laying down the foundation for music streaming. They not only catapulted the evolution of technology but transcended and transformed business models as we know them today.
In the last two decades a small device the size of a deck of cards catapulted the digital music market and bridged the gap between technology and music and shifted the world into the digital revolution.
The essence of music is not in the latest technology or market shares. Its core isn’t in record labels or streaming services. In its truest form, music and the feelings it gives listeners, is made and nurtured by the creators— the artists who have been gifted with the voices that sooth us— the writers, poets, lyricists who are blessed with words to express emotions that some of us don’t even know how to articulate — the composers and producers who have the ear to put sounds together that make us sing, move, dance, cry, and reminisce.
Business is business, and money makes the world go round, but let’s make sure we acknowledge and support the ones who make it possible for us to love music as much as we do.
Creators across industry make the art we love, but their plight has always been being controlled by those who just want to profit. Their angst is the agenda. And to that I say, “F&%k the algorithm.”
The Economics of Music
So much has changed in the last two decades during the digital revolution. Social media was invented and took the forefront to most of how society functions today, and in turn different markets evolved. As the internet changed, the way to approach cultivating true fans and loyal consumers has also changed.
The digital music revolution has changed the way music lovers acquire and consume music and has transformed the music industry entirely. Although the economics of the industry may change, the one constant of music is the value. The value to consumers is the emotional connection and that is not contingent on the market or economics.
HAUS OF VIBES will comprise of trending news about the music industry, highlighting historical moments in music history, and insight on the impact of tech in creative spaces. Providing round-ups, recommendations, curated playlists, featured artists, interviews, and an open forum for conversation while sharing the human experience through storytelling.
“We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here? ” -Steve Jobs
Love & Light,
Chief Vibe Officer, HAUS OF VIBES