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/ Wednesday, April 27, 2022
In fact, Spanish-language music is growing like never before in the US. It accounts for 6% of the entire U.S. music market.
Alternative Routes in the Creator Economy Social media gives equal access to the music industry
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Zoe Landi Fontana, The Weekly Journal
@Landi_Zoe
ccess to the music industry is being democratized, and those who can leverage social media to their advantage are at the forefront of the revolution. Whereas in the past the music industry was based on three main players - Sony, Warner, and Universal - the music industry has experienced rapid changes over the past few years that have empowered the independent artist. As the creator movement grows, artists are able to reach their fans directly through social media. One of the main struggles that independent artists face is making money through their royalties, of which streaming revenue makes up the biggest share, with Spotify being the largest platform. “For the next evolution of the music industry, it’s more of a music creator type of independent artist. You can use both the creative industry business model and music to combine them and make more money. For example, an artist can have a course on being an artist, show how to play an instrument, [sort] of becoming like influencers on their social media platform,” explained Alexiomar Rodríguez to THE WEEKLY JOURNAL. Rodríguez is a Puerto Rico-based music lawyer and founder of the startup Seed, a music business education platform. While contracts with the big three recording companies give a burgeoning musician reach and access to capital, artists are now more inclined to stay independent, to maintain control of their creative processes - they want to own their intellectual property. “The traditional route is closed right now because labels know that anyone can just start making content and developing their own following. So, they’re not going to invest in an artist who they think is going to be the next star because anyone could be the next star. They’re hanging tight, looking at
the market, then [they’ll] approach them with an offer,” said Rodríguez. So, what has driven these changes? One of the concepts that the industry talks about is the bedroom artist - the SoundCloud artist, a creator who uploads authentic content directly to an audience. This is a person who starts to record their work, uploads it to SoundCloud, goes on TikTok, and dances to their original tune. “Data shows that TikTok is the main artist discovery platform right now. Suddenly, you become a DojaCat, you’re in the Grammys,” Rodríguez explained of the power that social media has for giving creators visibility.
We’re not mercenaries, we’re missionaries trying to bring out a new gospel - that it’s possible to live off your passion for music without surrendering your rights or soul in exchange. Alexiomar Rodríguez Founder of Seed
The shift is towards a creator economy, in which a musician isn’t just a musician, but a brand, a creator. Not only do they need to be good at their craft, they need to know how to increase their exposure through social media - TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, SoundCloud - musicians barely even need a stage anymore. Consumption habits evolve with technology. The music industry is part of the entertainment industry, and with each evolution in technology that occurs in the consumer marketplace, the music industry adapts.
Puerto Rico: A Major Player In The Music Industry
In 2021, Latin America was one of the best-
performing music markets, whose revenue grew by 31.2% year over year, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). “Billboard estimates that Puerto Rico is the third leading exporting country of music hits, behind the U.S. and the UK. They had to separate Puerto Rico from the U.S. because we were giving them a lot of points in the research. Spanish [language] music is growing like never before in the U.S. It accounts for 6% of the entire music market in the U.S.,” Rodríguez recounted. Puerto Rico is positioned as the bridge between Latin America and the U.S., not only geographically, but also culturally. Rodríguez’s goal is to make Puerto Rico a mecca for the world in the area of music business education as well.
An Educational Platform For Independent Artists
In 2019, Alexiomar Rodríguez founded Seed, a music business education platform that educates users on how to manage digital marketing, royalties, copyrights, contracts, and anything involved in becoming a music entrepreneur. They’re currently looking to recruit top music business talent to share knowledge on the platform. Rodríguez is a musician himself. He grew up studying music after school, playing different instruments in church, and singing and writing songs, but he was afraid of not being able to live off his music. “[Seed] is a very personal mission for me,” he said of the startup. Instead, Rodríguez studied economics, then law at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez campus. After working at one of the island’s top three law firms, he quit and started his own firm, dedicated to helping creative entrepreneurs organize their projects in a business-minded way. This eventually led to the creation of Seed. “Throughout the last three years, we’ve built a 65K person following. Our current customer base is independent artists, producers, and labels. We’re helping them build a full-time music business no matter their background and location,” said Rodríguez, “We’re not mercenaries, we’re missionaries trying to bring out a new gospel - that it’s possible to live off your passion for music without surrendering your rights or soul in exchange.”
