Artists and the Social Media

Over the last twenty years the music industry has endured significant changes in the way it develops and markets hopeful stars. Following the changes in our society, the music industry has been trying to adapt to the new ways in which our generation communicates and entertains ourselves. With the start of the 21^st century came a new wave of communication using the internet. We’ve entered a time of technological addiction. Growing up during this period of change, I don’t see this as a bad thing as much as something we as a society need to adapt to.

When MySpace was invented in 2003, it started a new way for adolescents to converse. It also created a new market for businesses everywhere. There was now a far more affective way to reach the younger generation. MySpace was soon followed by Facebook in 2004 and YouTube in 2005. Together these three social media sites became one of the most influential tools of our time. Obviously this had an effect on how I communicate with my friends and family, just like everyone else, but it also plays a special part in the way in which I have to go about gaining a career.

Most of my generation today suffers from a severe attachment to social media sites, constantly searching the web for different ways to entertain themselves. Music has become a major part of how we do just that. The road to musical success is now paved partly by the usual labels and management companies, and partly by normal, everyday people.  It’s this new occurrence that has caused an increase in the importance of connecting with a fan base through the social media, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, or a personal website.

The fan base isn’t exactly a new technique, but the process of getting that is what concerns me. Gone are the days of packing up a van and heading out on the road with a few band members and a dream. These people had to earn every bit of their success and that’s what made it so worth it in the end. My issue is not the challenge of an increase in unknown artists to compete with, but the lack of work ethic involved in the whole process. Little to no dedication is required for these people to develop some kind of audience. Of course you do have to have some kind of talent in order for the internet to work for you, but you don’t need to have any drive and I think that’s one of the reasons our music industry is starting to really struggle.

Is this an issue to be overly concerned about right now? Absolutely not, but it’s something we as a society have to think about in the future. All these shortcuts are making life a little too easy. It’s primarily training our youth wrong. They won’t know how to put everything into where they’re trying to go, or even how to make things happen for themselves. The social media, although highly entertaining and beneficial in some ways, is teaching us some pretty bad habits that I worry may have consequences down the road.

The Family Dyanmic

A close look at the key players in the music career of Abby Miller

Due to the slightly frustrating fact that I’m only sixteen, the journey into the music industry is not one I can legally go alone. Luckily, I have a wonderful and incredibly supportive family behind me one hundred percent. While our little unit has a really special relationship, the situation can sometimes create a few minor complications.

–My charming, but slightly oblivious father is the top business man in a national company. He never made it to college, but somehow manages to dominate every business encounter he comes across. Along with being the most hilarious person I have ever met, my dad is the hardest worker I have ever seen. He is an amazing person who literally puts everyone in front of himself. He has had multiple old ladies tell him he’s going to heaven.

– My mom is a first grade teacher at a local elementary school.   She is one of those pretty moms, but not because she’s trying hard to be one, she just is. My mom is innocent in a good way, sometimes crossing into naive, but only when it comes to expecting goodness from all people.  My mom is also incredibly not funny. She’s so anti-funny that it turns out to be comical every time she tries, so I guess that helps her a little bit.  I like to think I got my dad’s genes on that end, and that my poor brother picked up my mom’s unfortunate habit.

– My brother is twelve years old.  He is the most disgusting eater I have ever seen in my entire life. He literally can’t feel when food is oozing down his face. I suggested we use shock therapy to fix the problem but my parents didn’t think his eating habit called for such drastic measures. I also created one other possible problem. It has to do with forcing my little brother to do a lot of things a boy should never do no matter how young you are. I’m slightly afraid of the repercussions of it all, but due to his incredible athletic skills, I think he’ll make out alright. The positive side is that he’s incredibly outgoing and everyone in his class seems to follow his lead.

 –And without a doubt the most important member in our family is our beloved dog Duncan. Weighing in at about fifty pounds heavier than he should be, Duncan spends his days eating, sleeping, and occasionally walking into things. He is the punch line to just about every joke and can be inserted into every situation making it an instantly hilarious scenario.

If I was looking to keep this small town life I would have the perfect setup.  The business man dad who is so attentive to his family, the beautiful school teacher mom who would do anything for her kids, the little boy  who is a gifted athlete, and the daughter who get’s straight A’s and has lots of friends.  I’m so grateful to have grown up in such a wonderful environment but unfortunately, that’s not what I’m looking for.

Statistics say that average parents will spend about $100,000 on each of their kids from birth to eighteen.  I think I passed that about a year ago. This career that I’m striving for requires major money to get started and if you’re lucky, you might get some of it back. I do get a little bit of guilt knowing that my parents’ life could have been so much easier with a daughter looking to experience her adolescent years in a normal way, but it was never really a choice for me. I had to pursue this dream, because otherwise it would just eat away at me. My parents understood that. They saw that it was serious and devoted themselves to helping me get where I need to be, and I’ll never be able to repay them enough for that.

So here we are, the go getter family, ready to help skyrocket my career. Here are the roles I think we fall into:

Abby-The Artist

• Obviously I’m the one trying to start the career

Dad- Business manager/motivational speaker

• Tends to handle all expenses and investments having to do with my career (Lucky him).
• Seriously, gives the best, most inspirational, makes random strangers cry kind of pep-talks I’ve ever heard. I don’t know where he gets it from, but my dad knows how to motivate people in the most beautiful, heart felt way. He just knows what to say and that’s why all my friends (guys and girls) come over to get some advice from the best.

Mom- Personal Manager

• She’s a little to sweet to be the stage mom so I think she’s more of the personal manager type. This means she tends to monitor the “well-being of the artist” and make sure I maintain a “healthy” emotional state.

Brother- Promotion

• Because he’s younger, my little bro can pretty much say whatever he wants about me without needing to worry about being humble and modest. He’s pretty much the best tool ever because he can use his little boy cuteness when going on about how “wonderful I am” without being judged.
• He also keeps me grounded, so that before I stress out about all my issues I remember that he’s trying to live like a normal person, and that what he’s doing is important too. I worry that he might get lost in all the “Abby stuff” that my family is always rushing off to do, so I make sure to go to all his sporting events, school assemblies and pretty much do everything I can to make sure he feels valued and inspired by life the way I am.

Duncan- Personal Trainer/ Nutritionist

• Duncan is the perfect motivation to make sure I’m maintaining a healthy lifestyle. He is a pretty prime example of what it looks like to “let yourself go,” so before I decide to sit on the couch and indulge in whatever fattening treat my mom forgot to hide from my brother and I, I simply look at Duncan and understand the consequences it could have on my every day activities, in his case walking and sitting up.

I wish there was a way for me to put into words how hilarious our situation is. I know my relationship with my family is special because for some crazy reason, unlike the rest of my peers, I’m not constantly trying to get away from them.  We are constantly traveling so that gives us a lot of quality car time.  As expected we do have our disagreements now and then, ranging from choices for my career to my little brother’s unique but obnoxious ability to make fart noises with every single part of his body, but as my dad would say, “It’s all part of the experience.”(I tried to remember that when he spit his soda off the boat the other day and it flew back in my face).  Anyways, it’s a very unique system we’ve got going and I’m so lucky to have it. In the end it’ll be my family that gets me where I want to go in life and hopefully I’ll be able to give that right back to them.  They are without a doubt my favorite people on the planet and I can’t wait for the rest of our adventures as we take on all this life has to offer!

Abby Miller is a sixteen year old singer/songwriter from North Conway, NH. She is currently working on her debut album.  The self-titled album is a mix of Pop and Country. Abby has performed in many locations including Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the IPOP Convention in Los Angeles, California, and at multiple venues in Nashville, Tennessee. She continues to write and perform locally, while also teaming up with a local youth center in order tor raise money for a new facility. All profits from her CD will be donated to the cause.  For more information on Abby Miller visit her Website….. or find her on YouTube or Facebook.

Make the money Last!

Local Talent, Nashville, Tennessee:

Nashville, Tennessee is the home to thousands of struggling vocalists and musicians. It is one of the most well-known places in the US for launching extremely successful careers in the music industry. So this February my family and I headed down there to check out the music scene.

We spent most of our time on Broadway which was a hot spot for tourists and locals making it a prime location for artists to try to get some attention. Each bar had a different act ranging from two to five musicians. I watched for performance qualities that I liked and could possibly help me develop my own, but the most interesting thing to me was the CD’s that each artist had for sale. Each album received a big chunk of time and work to pull a solid sound together. Up here in the North that is somewhat unique. Based on my knowledge, that is not usually how things are done unless signed by a label.

Quality:

I was very curious to hear the quality of the actual CD itself, along with the original material that each artist had created. After buying a few, I took them back to the hotel and listened to them over and over, trying to get an idea of the things that I felt made the CD strong. One album had a great lead singer, and the lyrics seemed pretty decent, but the track overall was missing that energy. It’s that very important piece that puts a song on the charts, that energy that I was looking to put in my Demo.

The Bad Investment:

The saddest album I saw was recorded by a twenty year old girl who was out in Nashville trying to develop a fan base by performing at the bars on Broadway. I became good friends with a few of her band members who let me in on the process she went through to get here.About six months ago she had gone to “The best” recording studio in Nashville. With that came a very expensive price. I listened to her CD expecting a great product, but instead heard a very amateur sound. I played the tracks again to try to figure out exactly what it was that I didn’t like. Below is a review of sorts and what I learned from the experience: 

Her Band was Fantastic

-They had such a great, full sound filled with so many instruments. Most importantly, they gave her songs that energy that I was so desperately seeking to include in my own music.

She had a Great Album Cover

-The cover is meant to make you seem marketable and promote that image or persona you are trying to sell and hers did that perfectly. It was the perfect mix of sweet and innocent with a little bit of sassiness.

Her voice was Decent

-Despite what the CD tried to tell me, I could tell this girl had a half decent sound. Unfortunately it was overlooked due to the poor quality of the recording.

This brings me to the bad….

“The best” recording studio in Nashville meaning we pull one over on naive people

The music and the vocals were not mixed right. Translation: her vocals sounded like they had been sloppily thrown on the same track with some awesome instrumentals. This was really a shame because the quality of her voice was completely thrown away, taking away this albums’ potential.

The lyrics were terrible!

I mean absolutely awful! I’m assuming there were at least two writers. This leads me to believe that at least one of them was a very amateur writer. This is another expense that she shouldn’t have had to pay.

  In the end it seemed like a huge waste of money. Musicians start out making little to no money  at all so this really was a bad move on her part. One of the musicians I met down there sings every night for at least five hours and only makes forty dollars a night! That’s impossible to live off of. This girl definitely should have invested in some lessons so that someday she’s be able to write her own songs. At least that would have given her more of a chance in the long run.

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