Rap Beats And Getting Heard In The Digital Age
Many people are under the false impression that the music industry is somehow crashing because of the internet, even though now you can buy rap beats online, promote online for free and distribute yourself for lower costs than at any other point in music history .Exactly how is it failing again? Anyway, this article was written to clear the air for hip hop artists, rappers and all musicians alike. There should be no thoughts going around that somehow illegal downloading and cyber pirating has ruined the game because quite simply, it hasn't done much damage at all. In fact it's my belief that the internet has made everything change for the better.
The media is responsible for most of the negative talk about declining record sales for major artists and some seriously bad numbers coming in for the most famous artists worldwide. It may sound like I'm speaking in terms of conspiracy but it's true that the media as a whole doesn't want you knowing the truth, at least I believe that. The major music industry is seeing less sales and for that reason the industry must all be crashing, right? Wrong. The major labels are simply losing out on more sales as independent record labels are starting to really see an increase in their overall success.
For instance did you know that in 2009 Billboard magazine publicly estimated that 50% of the record sales and singles downloaded that year were from independent record labels and artists? Those are some seriously huge numbers. For the longest time it had been known that the major labels had a seriously dominating fist punching down on the music scene, but that's all changed now. Major labels are now seeing less and less sales every project they put out and it's seriously scaring a lot of people into making up all these crazy accusations about the hip hop games current state.
So the internet has been blamed for the destruction of the industry when it simply isn't the truth. In reality, according to every study I've seen that had any legitimacy, only 20% of sales are seen as a loss due to cyber pirating. That means that 80% of music lovers still buy music from their favorite artists and they have no problem doing so! Tell me, if the vast majority is still buying, how can it be that the internet has ruined anything? In fact I believe that the internet has brought life back into the rap industry with new technologies.
The internet has made it possible to promote yourself online for free, so it's no longer necessary to have a big budget to get yourself heard. Websites such as YouTube, MySpace and Twitter have made viral marketing easy to achieve and more websites like this are coming out every day. Not only that but the internet has also provided many more enormous opportunities for hip hop artists and musicians around the world. For instance Tunecore, an online distribution company, has now made it possible for artists to get themselves on major mp3 retailers such as iTunes, Rhapsody and more for a low, affordable cost that even poor independents can find a way to afford. Plus being able to buy rap beats online has changed the game completely.
The media is responsible for most of the negative talk about declining record sales for major artists and some seriously bad numbers coming in for the most famous artists worldwide. It may sound like I'm speaking in terms of conspiracy but it's true that the media as a whole doesn't want you knowing the truth, at least I believe that. The major music industry is seeing less sales and for that reason the industry must all be crashing, right? Wrong. The major labels are simply losing out on more sales as independent record labels are starting to really see an increase in their overall success.
For instance did you know that in 2009 Billboard magazine publicly estimated that 50% of the record sales and singles downloaded that year were from independent record labels and artists? Those are some seriously huge numbers. For the longest time it had been known that the major labels had a seriously dominating fist punching down on the music scene, but that's all changed now. Major labels are now seeing less and less sales every project they put out and it's seriously scaring a lot of people into making up all these crazy accusations about the hip hop games current state.
So the internet has been blamed for the destruction of the industry when it simply isn't the truth. In reality, according to every study I've seen that had any legitimacy, only 20% of sales are seen as a loss due to cyber pirating. That means that 80% of music lovers still buy music from their favorite artists and they have no problem doing so! Tell me, if the vast majority is still buying, how can it be that the internet has ruined anything? In fact I believe that the internet has brought life back into the rap industry with new technologies.
The internet has made it possible to promote yourself online for free, so it's no longer necessary to have a big budget to get yourself heard. Websites such as YouTube, MySpace and Twitter have made viral marketing easy to achieve and more websites like this are coming out every day. Not only that but the internet has also provided many more enormous opportunities for hip hop artists and musicians around the world. For instance Tunecore, an online distribution company, has now made it possible for artists to get themselves on major mp3 retailers such as iTunes, Rhapsody and more for a low, affordable cost that even poor independents can find a way to afford. Plus being able to buy rap beats online has changed the game completely.
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