Since the advent of social media, record companies have had to change their traditional approach to music. Today, social networks, such as Facebook or YouTube, play an increasingly important role in the promotion of artists. Without a presence on these websites, artists will have a difficult time promoting their newest songs and albums, as customers continually abandon previous media outlets and spend more time online. As a result of social networking, many bands now forego personal websites in favor of profiles in these social networks, which facilitates organic recommendations and grants access to free publicity. Those artists who maintain their own websites generally integrate them with social media.

The nation’s passion for live music has grown to unprecedented levels in recent years, which proves beneficial for artists who use live shows and festivals to promote themselves and build a greater community of artistry. Every year, it seems like we hear of new festivals cropping up not just in the United States, but also in countries around the world. Some professionals believe that this trend will plateau in coming years, largely due to a changing push behind the festival. For success, festivals demand a great amount of capital and have, therefore, attracted support from major industry leaders and venture capitalists. Unfortunately, the participation of these parties seems to run counter to the original spirit of the music festival. Whether this clash will actually lead to fewer festivals or a reinterpretation of the festival remains to be seen.

While the death of hard-copy music has, for all intents and purposes, already occurred, the final nails in the coffin will come in the near future. The production of CDs represents a huge waste of resources, especially when individuals can download albums from the convenience of their own homes. Internet-based radio stations, like Slacker and Pandora, as well as new music services like Spotify will continue to redefine the album and the ways in which customers experience music.

About the Author

For the past two years, Jeremy Geffen has developed the Geffen Management Group, which works with artists such as Ron Artest, D12, and Jacob Latimore. In addition, he offer television production services and remains actively involved with several film projects. In 2002, he founded Jeremy Geffen Management, which helped launch the career of several artists, such as J-Kwon. He sold the company to Sanctuary Management in 2005.