Music and Communities

No big news : the internet is a precious opportunity for me. In my first post, I tried to explain to what extent it helped me promote my music on my own and share it with people.

Indeed, the internet is an efficient tool to communicate and to help artists on their road to success and glory (uh, uh). How would I have done without the web and new technologies? I think I wouldn’t have been able to make it through on my own. Besides, one must not forget that the internet is a place where you can share ideas and opinions. Anytime and anywhere, people can write to me and tell me why they like or dislike my music. Many music websites are built around communities of users who can react, write comments and messages : social network websites such as Facebook and Myspace, but also Cqfd.com, Virb, Wizzz, YouTube, Dailymotion, Last.fm,…

To make it short, the internet gave me the opportunity to improve my music thanks to other people.

Trendy or not trendy, that is the question !

Two years ago, big companies had to open an account on Second Life; today it’s old-fashioned. In 2007, Yelle (a French singer) made a buzz on the internet; today her popularity on the web has decreased.

That’s all about trends.

The websites Pitchfork and NME are supposed to be trendsetters in the field of music. New CDs, bands and recent songs are reviewed and are given marks by editorialists. Those websites are refreshed everyday or even several times a day. Indeed, trendy artists or songs don’t last. You may be trendy and famous one day and you may be forgotten the day after. The trends seem to emerge and to fade much faster on the web, and that may be seen as the dark side of the web.

Multimedia changed my life

Six years ago, when I discovered a song on the radio, I ran to the records shop next to my home and I listenned to the whole album. If I liked it, I bought it.

Five years ago, when I wanted to listen to music, I chose a CD and I put it in my old hi-fi system.

It seems like an eternity.

Today, my habits have completely changed, especially concerning music consumption. New technologies such as MP3 players and the internet have led to the dematerialization of music.

When I hear a song I like, I listen to the artist's album in streaming on websites such as Deezer, Jiwa. What is interesting is also that the internet encourages people to be curious by using the multimedia aspect of new technologies. Not only you can listen to music but you can watch videos and read what people's comments about them. We all know the unopposed leader YouTube, whom videos can be exported on external websites (blogs for instance).

Music websites were developed as places where you can listen to music, watch videos, look at pictures, read official biographies and users' comments. The music website Last.fm is a good example of the concentration of possibilities offered by new technologies. For instance, on Radiohead's Last.fm profile, there is a short biography of the band, a selection of "top tracks" that you can listen to if you are signed in, but also videos - concerts and videoclips -, web-users' comments (in the so-called "ShoutBox"), photographs, links to similar artists' profiles, list of the upcoming events... Last.fm gives the users the opportunity to buy artists' music by redirecting them on selling platforms such as Amazon, 7digital, iTunes, etc.

The internet triggered a big change in music consumption by offering a wide range of possibilities.

I think I've become a geek.

Transparent world

" You suck ! "

You've probably already read that kind of useless and insulting comment on YouTube, or on blogs.

Freedom of speech ?

Basically, it was a good idea. The internet became the symbol of an ideal : anyone can share an opinion, at any time. You do not like that video ? This article is in contradiction with your ideas ? You just feel like insulting people for no reason ? Just do it ! You're free to do whatever you want on the internet. You might be sued (that's the official version) but you won't (that's the unofficial version).

In the abstract world of the internet, nothing is tangible, not even people. Indivuduals become anonymous and get free from their personnal responsability. I remember the video that a German student had posted on YouTube - something like one year ago - in which he was telling people about his mental instability and his plan to kill students in his school. After the massacre, the video had been aired on TV, during the News. This fact proves that there is no efficient "police" on the web. Maybe it's due to the mass of videos, blogs, comments and users : it seems impossible to control each post, everyday, 24/24H.

Mirror, mirror, tell me who we are...

Indeed, the internet seems to be the mirror of our society - this is what transparency is about. It reflects all the aspects of our world, good ones and bad ones, without organizing them into a hierarchy or censoring them. It's up to the internet user to sort out the information.

Because on the web, you have to act as a citizen, using your freedom of speech and taking collective and personnal responsibility.

Make it real !

Monday, September 21^st

8:30 AM – I wake up to the sweet sound of my alarm clock. I switch on my computer, I open Firefox and I go on Myspace.com to check my inbox and to see how many people have visited my profile in the last 10 hours.

12:30 PM – End of the morning class. I grab my iPhone and I click on the “Myspace” Icon. Wow ! “New Friend Requests”, “New Messages”, “New comments”. Oh yes, I have to tell you one thing : I’m a musician. I play the guitar, I sing, and I write songs. Consequently, I have a Myspace Music profile to share my music with people from all over the world.

“New message - from "The Last Morning Soundtrack" : Chloe, would you like to play at Les Cariatides in Paris on October 30^th?”.

Sure I would !

6:30 PM – I’m back home. I go on Facebook to check my “Page”. No big news. I’m kind of disappointed.

Disappointed ? But what was I expecting ? Actually, I do not really know. Maybe I would have liked some other people to message me about my music, or to propose me to play for a concert. As if it was logical. But is it, really ?

THE WEB MADE IT REAL ! (Well... I thought so)

Three years ago, when I decided to share my music with people, the internet was already seen as a useful and essential tool for artists, and especially musicians : Myspace was launched in 2003. I realized that I had no other option : I had to create a Myspace Music profile. A few minutes later, my name was written in capital letters on a website, my songs were available on a player, and people from all over world could become my friends. Myspace had made it real ! I was officially becoming a musician. At least, on the web.

Anyone can become someone by creating a profile on Myspace : you can build up your image through the internet, maybe a better image than your real one, and show what you want people to know about you. So you can become original and unique, even if you are the most common person in the world. But the gap between the web and reality is sometimes hard to cross. Anyway, how good it feels to be considered as an individual in our globalized world !

But globalization is also a good opportunity for artists, and the internet is a major tool in erasing frontiers and making people feel they belonged to a “worldwide community”, or to a “global village”. Brazilian, Argentinean, British, American, Canadian, Indian, Moroccan, Australian, Russian, Chinese people (and many more) have sent me “Friend Requests” and messages on Myspace. My music is listened to by people from all over the world !

It is hard to believe, but it feels so good.

Myspace, Facebook, YouTube, Dailymotion, Cqfd.com, and all those platforms give musicians the possibility to express themselves without any restrictions. The artist can customize his communication plan, and choose how to promote himself through the web. The idea that the artist starts from nothing – I did not exist on the web as a musician before creating a Myspace – is very important : the artist is free to decide WHO he wants to target, WHY, and HOW he plans to reach his target. To some extent, the artist becomes his own communication officer.

Yesterday, I booked a concert by using Myspace. Maybe tomorrow I will post a new video on YouTube and Facebook. And maybe some people will listen to my songs and like them, and they will feel like coming to see me performing on stage. I hope I will cross the gap between the web and reality. I hope the internet will make it real. And all the “Myspace artists” hope so.