The Influence of Music on Modern Platforms
It’s tough to ignore the huge influence music has over many of us, which is why it is used so prominently in many different parts of our lives. From an alarm clock to get us up in the morning, to the games we play on a day to day basis. But how has music influenced and impacted many of our modern platforms?
One of the biggest to come into the news recently has been around popular streaming platform Twitch. Live streaming for long periods of time is often filled with the sound of music in the background of the creator’s favourite artists and albums. Also catalogues of thousands of hours of streamed content can be found with music influencing the listening habits of thousands of viewers, but a recent push saw many titles become unavailable to streamers. In one fell swoop thousands of DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) strikes were issued with a request for all content with the music in the background to be removed. This had been expected for quite some time, but many streamers had been able to skirt around the rules a little for some time. But this change has led to many seeking out alternative non-copyright music and a new movement for alternative musicians, bands or albums to be listened to in the post-DMCA wake.
The use of music has been popularised across other forms of media too as online gaming has widely adopted it where possible to keep newer users interested in playing. This has been seen recently in the rise of music related slots with popular names such as KISS and Guns N’ Roses slots being amongst the most popular, but a rising number of options are becoming available for independent musicians to also get involved and find ways to have their own music featured on these platforms too. Both as a way to cut licensing costs and as a way to avoid any potential copyright restrictions down the line by having music specifically created for the platforms.
With the growing number of copyright strikes and copyright concerns in recent years it has led to a huge movement in the creation of independent music and its use on modern platforms. However, more and more of us are seeking out titles we may have never heard of or find ourselves listening to something new on a regular basis because of this shift. If there had been a previous influence for the popular artists and titles, then the same can be true for this newer change.
When looking at non-copyright options too, there are those which certainly stand out. The biggest can be seen in the huge uptick in listeners to the growing number of lo-fi streams on platforms such as YouTube. When some of the channel streamers were asked why they believe this growth was happening, the suggestion had been that the reduced exposure from platforms such as Twitch for more mainstream artists. The changing attitude for these artists at the same time, and the added time they now have to spend searching for newer and different alternatives could likely be attributed to the growth.
With the music being live streamed for twenty-four hours a day, the viewership never really ends. Of the longest running live streams in this category dedicated to lo-fi chill hop, it has been noted that their subscribers have increased by 40% over the past month with viewership rising by up to 46% too. Similarly, with the most well-known channel of ChilledCow and home of the “beats to relax/study to” stream also seeing a huge uptick.
It’s certainly an exciting time for music if you’re looking to have an influence on modern platforms in a different way, and with the possibility of remote working becoming a more permanent fixture for many of us. Many of these options may continue to rise in popularity. The space is changing quickly because of the way copyrighting is hindering creators on platforms, and it has created a huge gap for the alternatives.
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