The development of the internet and digital media has significantly impacted the music business and how music is produced, enjoyed, and distributed. YouTube has become more crucial as streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music have grown in popularity for helping artists gain exposure and connect with fans. In particular, the 21st century’s most well-known and significant music platforms are YouTube ( Cotter, 2018). It has a large effect on the music business and is particularly relevant to discussions about music, place, and identity. With its ability to instantly transmit information and ideas to a wide audience, YouTube has been a crucial venue for creating both underground and mainstream music scenes worldwide.
The growth of music scenes on YouTube affects how we perceive identity, place, and music. First of all, technology has made it possible to create music settings that are not constrained by conventional conceptions of location. For instance, YouTube has been primarily credited for the emergence of Reggaeton music in the US since it made it possible to share music from Latin America with a worldwide audience (Lombardi, 2019). Second, it has allowed music scenes to grow, representing various identities and cultures. People can express their personalities and musical preferences on these music scenes and make music scenes representative of their personal histories. For instance, the “Cavetown” YouTube channel has grown to a sizable online fanbase that communicates with one another globally and exchanges and debates the singer’s music.
Additionally, YouTube has given independent music scenes a platform to grow by making it easy for DIY musicians to upload their work. This has allowed local music scenes to flourish and grow naturally, frequently without the help of established infrastructure for the music business (Chun, 2019). For instance, the platform has enabled unsigned artists to create fanbases and make money using services like Patreon and Bandcamp. This has made it possible for various musical styles and genres to emerge that might have yet to be able to succeed in the conventional music industry.
Furthermore, via vlogs and music videos, YouTube has developed into a space where people can express their identities. As a result, music scenes centered around a particular identity or group of individuals, like the hip-hop scene, have emerged (Barrett, 2020). These scenes have established their aesthetics and styles while giving marginalized voices a forum to be heard. For instance, the platform has made it possible for musicians like Le1f and Mykki Blanco to engage with their fans and get visibility in ways that were not feasible before the development of streaming platforms.
In addition, YouTube has allowed people to produce and disseminate musical situations that go against conventional ideas of style, class, race, and nation. By exploring music in various contexts, people can now discover musical scenes representing their experiences and viewpoints. This has made it possible for music scenes to arise that question conventional ideas of difference and taste while also giving people a forum to express their own identities and tastes. It has also made it possible for musicians of all social classes, racial backgrounds, and nationalities to be respected and recognized. The platform has also enabled various diverse music scenes to emerge, aiding the industry’s promotion of the concept of “taste and difference” (Cruikshank, 2020). For instance, YouTube has received much credit for the rise of K-Pop because of the global appeal of the genre and the emergence of K-Pop music scenes across the globe. With the help of YouTube, the UK’s “Bedroom Pop” culture has expanded substantially, bringing together local musicians and enabling them to share their music with a large audience.
In conclusion, YouTube has established itself as a crucial tool for the growth of music scenes all over the world. It has enabled the establishment of global music scenes, the expansion of independent music scenes, and the development of music scenes based on identity by granting access to music from all over the world. As a result, YouTube has become crucial to the larger discussion surrounding music, location, and identity.
References
Barrett, E. (2020). Music, Place, and Identity: Exploring YouTube’s Impact on Music Scenes. International Journal of Communication, pp. 14, 4794–4817.
Chun, S. (2019). YouTube: An Important Player in the Music Business. In The Routledge Companion to Music, Technology, and Education (pp. 124–134). Routledge.
Cotter, D. (2018). The Role of YouTube in the Music Industry. Music Business Journal, 6(1), 1–14.
Cruikshank, J. (2020). How YouTube Changed Music. Harvard Business Review, 98(11/12), 30-37.
Lombardi, J. (2019). How YouTube is Changing the Music Industry. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimlombardi/2019/07/30/how-youtube-is-changing-the-music-industry/#7d8a667a279a
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