The Usefulness of The 21st Century Technology in Music Industry

Technology has progressively developed over time. Whatever technology that was there in the 18th century is clearly not what we have today in our 21st century economy. As technology advances and expands everywhere, the music industry expands as well. Music production in the music industries has consequently improved as a result of the advancement in technology. From new recording technology, new musical technology and new listening technology, it is with no doubt that the music industry has changed for the better.

The 21st century technology has changed how we listen to music. Music streaming services such as Spotify, apple music, deezer etc. have emerged over the years making it easier for people to access music unlike in the past where the only way to listen to music would be to watch/listen to it live or rather in person. Recording technology have been invented and we have progressively moved from records, to cassettes, to CDs and now we are streaming music online. Streaming services come in handy worldwide because just by the click of a link, you get to listen to whichever music wherever. Consequently, artists benefit from these services because they gain potentially millions of listener who happen to just stumble upon their work as they look for other music.

The actual production of music has also advanced. Auto tuning technology has made it possible for anybody to produce music, whether talented or untalented. This technology instantly corrects any imperfection on an artist’s voice and is made to sound completely different. Natural talent has been limiting various artists who would love to be part of the music industry but fear judgement from luck of talent. Today, artists all over the world have succeeded in the industry because of the auto tuning technology. The focus today is mainly directed towards the potential of the technology than the artist because technology does the most work, the artist rather only focuses on building his/her image than their natural talent.

With the growth of the technology today, we have seen musical instruments being replicated with technology. Using of real musical instruments would at most times result to numerous errors because err is human; it is natural for human beings to make mistakes. Today tracks can be produced more quickly and instantly because of these inventions. Take for instance the electrical guitar which is easier to play as the strings are usually lighter compared to an acoustic guitar, the sound augmented with electricity, in an electric guitar, in most cases cover mistakes and make them appear less obvious.

There are new music genres that have emerged as a result of technology advancement an example being the electronic music genre also known as electronic dance music (EDMs). Electronic music is made using electronic musical instruments, digital instruments etc. This music genre relies on the use of electronic instruments to create songs that surpass the songs made with traditional instruments. This music genre is inarguably the most popular genre today. The music is mostly played in clubs, a place where a lot of people would be just to chill and enjoy the moment with friends. Many people have since become great fans/listeners of this music genre.

The Musical Instrument Digital Interface or MIDI is a technology that allows users to hook up to a PC or any another musical device to play multiple electronic instruments simultaneously. With a midi controller, you can play various musical instruments once on a single device, one minute you play a guitar and the next you are on a piano keyboard. In short, the MIDI has allowed the musicians today to have access to a lot of electronic instruments that would be otherwise impossible or too expensive to purchase all at once.

Multi track recording is an invention that is greatly underrated. Years back musicians had to record a full track in one recording which was very likely to give unhappy results and prone to mistakes and later several full recordings. Multitrack recording enables songs to be broken down into sections, one piece at a time, allowing more room for experimentation, and time to perfect songs and albums. Experimentation in music is very important because with every take you discover something new, can either be lyrics, tone or beats.

In conclusion, music technology has really come in handy in terms of the music quality which plays a big role. Music production has generally improved without a doubt. Music is selling widely and the industry is gaining profits thanks to the technological advancements.