It seems everyone’s opinions on favorite artists and songs change almost weekly. Social media presence may be the largest factor in listeners changing musical preferences.
Emerging and current artists no longer rely solely on record labels or radio play to gain exposure. Instead media platforms have become essential for establishing fan bases and presence.
“I discover new music artists mostly through social media and my friends,” said senior Brett Seely.
The rise of artists like Gracie Abrams and Charlie XCX show how social media is changing the music scene.
“I love her music just because it’s calming music and it is easy to put on almost anywhere,” said junior Lindsey Lyons about Abram’s music.
As social media becomes a central part of the music discovery process, fans expect more than just music from their favorite artists.
“I feel like because of the social media hype for brat summer it made the concert even more desirable to go,” said Seely, who went to Charli XCX’s concert in Portland.
The shift to putting more time into social media outreach means emerging artists have double the work than already established songwriters unless one of their songs becomes viral.
With the ever changing music scene, singers work to reach fans across the world in hopes to become their favorite… at least for a week.