B02 - User Generated Content and Online Information Sharing
User-Generated Content
User-Generated Content for Music Marketing
User-generated content (UGC) is essential for independent musicians because it broadens their audience reach, fosters community engagement, and provides a promotion opportunity at little to no cost. Unlike major label artists with large marketing budgets, small artists rely on independent “campaigns” to spread their sound. Social media platforms and UGC have helped give indie artists a marketing voice. Small artists can leverage UGC in various ways to gain exposure. TikTok and Instagram Reels have become popular methods amid the push for short-form-content. TikTok has become essential in breaking new songs/artists.
Small Artists vs. Big Labels
Independent social media music campaigns have forced major labels to rethink traditional marketing strategies. With viral hits emerging from platforms like TikTok and Instagram, labels now prioritize digital-first approaches, investing more in influencer partnerships and UGC-driven campaigns rather than traditional advertising methods, which are more expensive. It is argued that labels may be leaning too much on social media marketing.
Concerns have been raised that social media has shifted the focus from music quality to online presence, often valuing follower counts over artistry, or even potential. Many industry A&R professionals now prioritize viral moments, signing artists based on engagement metrics rather than talent. This makes labels more money in the end, as marketing campaign expectations are handed off to artists who have already established an audience prior to signing a deal. Musicians/singers/songwriters come to labels as fully idealized artists with online marketing in full swing, begging the question(s): What do labels have to offer if not exposure? What are they contributing if not a marketing team/budget?
Another contributing factor towards the rise of the independent artist.
User-Generated Content for Me
As someone (semi)actively trying to pursue a career as a musician, I do my best to take advantage of the marketing opportunity allotted by UGC. I’ve been making and consuming UGC since I was 12, but the content I was creating/interacting with then is very different from today. I’ve had a personal Instagram account since 2014, and from 2015-2018 I ran a couple of fan accounts (mainly for Taylor Swift but give me a break please, I was 12). I discovered my love for social media through my fan accounts because of the community they fostered. Several people I met through Instagram became close online friends, like digital pen pals. We would bond over the creation of our user-generated content (which at the time was short video edits, photo edits, or art revolving around Taylor Swift) and support each other's content online.
Being an active creator of UGC meant I was introduced to creative technologies, like photo and video editing applications, at a young age. There was a time where I thought I might want to become a film editor, and I most definitely fostered my passion for marketing through the content I made for these fan accounts. I credit these beginnings with my passion for editing and digital marketing. I’m also a more vigilant consumer of digital media, especially marketing, because I’ve been exposed to it for so long. This is positive in a sense, but I also feel a bit jaded, which is why I’m excited by innovative/creative uses of user-generated content.
UGC’s Impact on Journalism
User-generated content has impacted journalism by providing real-time news and access to more diverse citizen perspectives.
Journalists can pull from social media outlets for firsthand accounts to help gap information in reports. However, journalists must be vigilant when gathering accounts, and this form of information sourcing requires knowledge to credibility and special attention to misinformation.
UGC’s Impact on Traditional Media
UGC has also impacted traditional media outlets, such as news channels. Many people turn to social media applications to receive their news, sometimes from other independent users or smaller news outlets. TikTok has been a crucial platform for news sharing, and is actively changing the way people consume world news and communicate across communities. The speed at which news can be covered on UGC-driven platforms challenges traditional outlets to keep up, verify facts, and engage audiences differently. But, as mentioned above, there are concerns about credibility and misinformation.
