Brave New World

Something crazy is going on with this internet thing. Oh sure, there’s always some kind of weird video of people shooting a bear and doing ungodly things over it afterwards, but I’m not talking about that. I mean a social media revolution, involving music in particular. Social media is Youtube, Twitter, Bandcamp, and all those other websites you might check out once in a while for new music.

Online publicity stunts have been used for advertising everything from Lost to Viagra, but what’s particularly interesting with music is that in theory there shouldn’t be that much money to be made in music anymore, unless you’re a corporate caricature copycat. However the traditional “business model” for succesful bands in the past (demo, followed by local tour, then indie label, national tour, and maybe, just maybe, major label and world tour) is outdated and the vast majority of musicians never get past the first stages. Blame it on trends, faster rates of musical consumption and turnover in the iPod age, or simply on the fact “it’s all been done before”, but at the end of the day the core dilemma remains obvious. If you can just download everything for free – and look past the “moral ambiguity” of loving a band and yet repeatedly stealing from them – then why would you ever need to pay for an album?

This is where forward-thinking artists such as Trent Reznor and Radiohead realized true, hardcore fans would donate money in exchange for a “free” record so long as the quality they’d come to expect from their favourite band was consistent with their new outtings; regardless of record deals. So there are still viable money-making opportunities available for established musicians on the internet. But what about the extremely talented dude who just makes beats at home and is too “edgy” or un-PC for labels in the first place? How about projects that look insane on paper and will never get funding?

Nowadays anyone with a bit of talent, a bit of imagination and a lot of time on their hands can create cutting-edge, interesting and challenging art

A new generation of artists has decided that the solution is a DIY-attitude, reminiscent of early punk, just more geeky, with more time spent on the internet and post-production software. Nowadays anyone with a bit of talent, a bit of imagination and a lot of time on their hands can create cutting-edge, interesting and challenging art.

The best example of this audiovisual wizardry has to be iamamiwhoami, a female artist possibly from Iceland (and probably a pseudonym for pop singer Jonna Lee) who has relied on anonymity and fantastic production to create a collection of viral videos since December 2009. There are 16 videos to date, sporting cryptic names and accompanied by haunting, atmospheric and groundbreaking experimental songs. On a mysterious website (towhomitmayconcern.cc) a live concert was recently announced. However, before contact could finally be established between the musicians and the growing online community of fans that thrive on the mystery behind the concept and speculation about the overarching plot to the videos, the YouTube followers were asked to designate an intermediary. User ShootUpTheStation was finally chosen for his loyalty and dedication, and in a beautiful piece of meta-fiction the latest video “20101109” shows the surreal phone call from artist to fan announcing that he has been chosen, will be picked up from his house in Germany and flown to Sweden in preparation for the gig. The lines between art and reality become blurred, and the project has truly taken on a life of its own. No one knows where it’s going or how it will end, but whilst it lasts it is an exciting new concept to be a part of.

Another world being revolutionised by social media is the hip-hop community. The success and unstoppable ascension of cultured comedic rappers Das Racist would have seemed impossible a few years back, but over the past year they’ve exploded on the internet thanks to the release of two flawlessmixtapes for free and a unique take on the genre that pleases freaks and geeks alike.

After struggling to get recognized as the genius he is, South African visionary Waddy Tudor Jones is finally getting the recognition he deserves with his rap-rave crew Die Antwoord thanks to a single hilarious viral video, 'Zef Side'.

The list goes on, but surreal rap crew Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All are particularly noteworthy. Led by fearless leader Tyler The Creator, this gang of 16 to 18 year olds from LA are making waves with their minimalistic, unhinged beats, agile rapping skills and profane, drug-induced homocidal lyrics. Their Tumblr website features every release from the crew (all for free) and links to their fresh and imaginative low budget videos.

The future of music is in building a loyal fanbase on the internet and letting word of mouth create the demand for your music, not in chasing imaginary pots of gold or deals with the devil.