Social Media Bands Hold the Future of Music

(Not so) Bold Prediction: The future of music belongs to the bands that also know how to convince on social media. And yes, social media are actually already part of the standard repertoire, as they are the most important means of communication for artists off stage. Those who have mastered social media well can now also significantly shorten the stony path to the top, especially when backed by a great Social Media marketing panel. Nowhere else can you draw attention to yourself with comparatively small means.

Nevertheless, I can understand if some people don’t like the increasing focus on social media presence. I, too, am someone who loves the live scene of music above all – mainly the medieval genre. Middle Ages! Yes, this is the music that torments you with ancient instruments, such as the bagpipes. And it is precisely this Middle Ages that are extraordinarily modern in places.

When Corona suddenly changed the music

For a good two years, musical culture was largely at a standstill. Live concerts largely did not take place. Suddenly there were streaming concerts or you came together in the antiquated form of the drive-in cinema to enjoy your favorite bands from the car. Some people also sat in beach chairs, which were sometimes used for concerts.

Amusingly, I had the feeling that the medieval scene came to terms with modern alternatives better than some other genres. It didn’t take long for the first concerts to be streamed. Thanks to crowdfunding, the band Feuerschwanz even made a streamed open-air gig clear for their album release at a castle that is otherwise the stage of an annual festival. Then there were also streaming events somewhere between concerts, relaxed talk, and game interludes. It was certainly not optimal, in some respects, the proximity to the fans may have strengthened something.

Much of the pandemic simply depended on how well bands were already familiar with social media and were able to quickly adopt it as an interim solution. For every artist, it’s probably nicer to be on stage and get direct feedback. A screen with Zoom participants of the concert simply cannot replace the direct feedback of a crowd that sings, dances and sweats together with the band. And yet memorable moments have certainly arisen for the artists when they could suddenly look into the living rooms of the audience.

For me as a fan, the two years of concert celibacy have also had some very memorable moments. For example, the song marathon of the comedy trio Eure Mütter, who played a song for each canceled concert, which the audience was allowed to determine in advance by donation. After 12 hours and 144 pieces, not only the stream but also the three mothers were completely finished.

European music scene sticks together

Many bands also helped through difficult times. Especially with European bands, this seems to be particularly pronounced. I like to watch music reactions by YouTuber Tank the Tech, a former roadie who also incorporates his years of experience with bands and equipment into his videos. During his reactions, however, the difference between American and European bands became clear to him. The US bands obviously do their own thing, while the European (rock & metal) scene works together much more.

It is particularly evident on the label Napalm Records, which appears particularly likes to make guest appearances of their artists with other bands. In the end, cross-promotion is good for both bands when potential fans become aware of the other band. With the medieval (rock) bands, however, this is also common practice without a label. You regularly experience that musicians from other bands of the festival simply participate in 1-2 songs.

But where I mentioned a Reaction channel: Reaction videos, where YouTubers react to videos, are currently a big growth factor. Here, too, European bands have benefited from the fact that Reactions became more popular in the Corona period and that many international channels have also expanded to Europe or Germany.

But there are also artists who have made a name for themselves on YouTube and are now either on the big stage themselves or have regular guest appearances. I’ve seen the hurdy-gurdy YouTuber Patty Gurdy play with many scene greats. By the way, she has just contributed two strong songs to the Amazon series “Carnival Row”.

ALSO READ: Why Music Is Important To Video Games

Lindsey Stirling showed how it works before

If I were to describe Patty Gurdy to people outside the scene, the short description would be: “She is the Lindsey Stirling the hurdy-gurdy” – with a subsequent explanation of what kind of instrument this is. Lindsey Stirling is already a prime example of an artist who has come a long way, especially through the Internet. With her mixture of violin with dubstep beats and dance choreography, she has made it to world success.

Admittedly, her performance on “America’s Got Talent” certainly helped, but there she didn’t get very far and was encouraged to focus more on the music and dance less. However, Lindsey Stirling has continued to do her thing on YouTube and has quickly become an Internet sensation thanks to high-quality music videos.

Somewhat more up-to-date and even more successful is the American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish. Together with her brother, she wrote songs and released them “Just for fun” on SoundCloud, where they finally went through the roof. Together with later YouTube videos, she also created the basis for a quick global success.

ESC, Electric Callboy, and a missed opportunity

For me, the Eurovision Song Contest this year was an exciting rollercoaster ride. On the one hand, on its return to a large live audience, the ESC 2022 showed many bands and performers in general who wrote their own songs. This made for a very colorful mix beyond the unity Tralala of many other years. But then there was also the German contribution, in which one may have missed a great opportunity.

Already in the run-up, the band Electric Callboy was clearly one of the favorites for the German pre-selection. The band used the Corona period productively for several music videos, which were humorous, but also high-quality produced. A meteoric rise even before their new singer could perform for the first time at a live concert.

But she did not make it into the preliminary round. The reason was in essence: They are not radio-compatible enough. Admittedly, the fun metalcore troupe from Castrop-Rauxel would certainly have caused a lot of head shaking, but: They are damn successful. Their video stands at 13 million views. In addition, there was a petition on change.org with over 100,000 signatures to bring the band into the preliminary round. Not even our final winner Malik Harris had a YouTube view count equal to the signatures until the preliminary round.

This says a lot about the music understanding of those responsible: A band that started internationally during Corona through music videos was not taken, instead many unknown performers with largely similar songs, which splash along radio-friendly, were at the start. Not ideal for a competition where you have 3 minutes to remember. Whether we would have done better with Electric Callboy, no one can say exactly, but unfortunately, they did not get the chance.

Without social media, it will be difficult in the future

Can you still be successful as a musician in the future? That is certainly possible. But the hard stony path from bars and the rancidest clubs to the really big stages is not made easier.

As a musician, the social media game has become a standard tool. This is all the more true the younger the target group is and the newer you are in the business. But it’s also rare enough to just post a video. It must be well done and best advertised accordingly. Cover versions of currently popular songs also often help to win over new fans. And yes, even on the Internet, it sometimes takes not only tact but also some luck to be found among all the big names themselves.

It will be exciting for the social media bands when at some point the metaverse actually establishes itself. Then the line between on-site feeling and virtual experience melts a good deal. Then it will also become clear again which musicians are best prepared for the new trend.