It goes without saying that the landscape of our global music industry has changed so much over the years. From music videos being first introduced in the 1980’s thanks to channels such as MTV, to musicians going viral on apps like YouTube in the naughties. So it really does make me think sometimes, how do current musicians actually define their 
Back in the day, the main outlets where we can listen to music were TV and radio. I’m from the generation that would use a cassette tape to record the weekly top 40 chart that usually aired on a Sunday afternoon or evening, to find out who was number 1. So many big names such as Madonna, Bon Jovi and Oasis, shot to fame through these very media outlets without being reliant on social media. Which makes me question whether social media for today’s current artists, is a blessing or a pain?
We now have a multitude of social media platforms to keep up with and that in itself can present difficulties in trying to maintain and upkeep one’s profile online. Factoring in things like management control vs artist control and another can of worms can be opened. While I personally think it is better for artists to manage their own social media as they can keep their branding consistent and connect with their fan base, sometimes being short of time, doesn’t always allow them the option to do so. As long as their management doesn’t lose the meaning behind their branding things should be OK. Which brings me to my next question, do social media numbers e.g. follower numbers, truly define current artist success?
Another way artists would often define success back in the day, was down to album sales and gold, silver, platinum discs. However, these options would only be accessible to mainstream commercial artists. How do Indie music artists get defined as successful? Is it through their own hard work, how many releases they have per year, or their social media following?
When most indie artists rely on streaming platforms as a way of defining their success, the lines between can often become blurred, also depending on how much exposure they have. I know first hand that indie musicians have to work twice as hard to keep themselves going, often funding their releases themselves which again makes me question whether they truly get the recognition they deserve.
The good thing is, music recommendations are often spread via word of mouth or these days, some female indie musicians are lucky enough to get their songs played on popular TV shows such as Love Island! Yet the hard work of raising one’s profile, is to be done by themselves.
If you’re an indie artist reading this article, I would love to hear your thoughts. At the end of the day, “success” is subjective to everyone and no longer has only one definition.
Jem Girl at the Piano 