The Grateful Dead: A Social Media Analysis

My family is full of some of the most intense music enthusiasts I know. My parents used to tell me about the musicians of their time, of which their favorite was The Grateful Dead. The Grateful Dead’s dedicated fan base, which included my mother and father, often travelled across the country following the band on tour. Before CDs and records were even highly popular, The Grateful Dead was able to make a profit off of the loyalty of their fans.
Being a musician is hard, whether considering the artists of today or of decades ago. Creating content and music is a difficult task enough, but how does one get it out to the masses? Social media today is an important factor in a band making a name for itself, a platform artists did not use to have.
Fans couldn’t show support via internet platforms and in turn had a more physical role in an artist’s career. Concerts had to be experienced in the moment, whereas fans now can stream shows live or watch them later.
Artists can’t make a direct profit off of social media. They can only promote their music, shows, and merchandise, but aren’t directly funded. Artists today often have a heavy online fan base but still struggle to fund themselves through a tour. The only way fans in the past could support their favorite artist was to go out to these shows, meaning older bands saw more of a profit from live shows. Once records and later, CDs, became popular and accessible, these products were now a valuable source of income.
Now, listening to music through physical means is almost as uncommon as it used to be. First, the transition was from CDs to purchasing music online, through services like iTunes. Artists still made money from iTunes, charging the consumer to listen to full length songs to own on their respective device. Today, it is rare for artists to make money at all from their music online.
Online streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music give almost no money to artists, while listeners can experience an artist’s entire discography while only paying one respective streaming company.
Artist’s choose to allow their music to be accessed via these streaming services in hopes for the exposure to potential listeners and fans.
The music industry and careers and music have changed quite drastically, and it’s important to stay aware of these changes for fan’s to keep supporting their favorite artists in the way they need most. Artist’s incomes funnel almost directly from live shows and merchandise. What does this mean for fans?
Keep concert attendance high and purchase paraphernalia directly from artists! Show support by purchasing concert tickets and shirts or other merchandise; avoid streaming shows for free or buying products from third party vendors. Not only are concerts incredible experiences, but it is the best way to keep artists afloat and making music.
The evolution of music throughout the years has been quite transformative, yet a quiet and undetected process. Not only has the type of music changed, but the way listeners experience it has morphed as well. Online streaming services are great for avid music enthusiasts, but fans should take note of ways to actually financially support their favorite artist’s before it’s too
late.