As information becomes more abundant every day the methods we use to create music, distribute it, and consume it have all changed.
If you know what you are doing as a creative, you can take advantage of this opportunity and gain a fanbase before time is up. You can set your stake in the ground and plant your flag.
So what changed?
Back in the day, there were only so many radio signals that you could listen to. On TV, even if you paid for all the premium networks, you would still only have 500 channels. This created limits for creatives on how they can broadcast their message.
Fast forward to today, it’s estimated that 50,000 new YouTube channels are created monthly. That is a 1,000x increase…per month.
So, how did we get such a stark increase in such a short amount of time?
Before the invention of the personal computer, no one was able to distribute their music unless they were at the top. You needed to be under a record label to get your songs on the radio, TV, or play at venues.
But now, if you have a laptop you can be your own “record label”. You don’t need radio, TV, or live shows anymore. You can upload it to social media and build your audience that way.
The abundance of media distribution changes how we create media and consume it.
The way music and information are distributed went from limited (scarcity) to unlimited (abundance).
This has also caused a shift in how our attention is distributed. From limited (watch one show) to unlimited (an infinite feed of “high quality” recommendations).
The suggestions by the platform have become so good that you have to save them to a “watch later” playlist or open multiple tabs for later just so you don’t miss out on them. It’s weird how adding more content created a Fear Of Missing Out mindset.
Media distribution went from scarcity to abundance.
Media consumption went from scarcity to abundance.
Media creation went from scarcity to abundance.
However, this has a reverse effect on our attention. We move from abundant attention to scarce attention.
This shifts how we create and what we create.
Creatives become driven by the algorithm instead of art.
Creatives become driven by capturing attention instead of using our own wisely.
Creatives become driven by the numbers instead of the message.
This causes creatives to manipulate their art to make sure it fits what the audience wants.
So let’s break down the shifts that have occurred in creation, distribution, and consumption caused by the change from limited to abundant information sources.
Distribution Changes (The New Gatekeepers)
With the increase in the power of the distributor the way people get discovered changed. Whoever is in charge of the discovery mechanism dictates what is heard or not heard.
Before, the gatekeeper was at the door of the club blocking off anyone who didn’t have a “Record Label ID”. If you weren’t part of the elite club, then you were rejected.
Now, the gatekeepers want as many people in the club as possible, which is why everyone can create a YouTube account and start posting for free.
More people = More ad views = More money (I’ll touch on this a bit later)
However, once you enter the door, there are more gatekeepers inside protecting the escalators and elevators. At this point, if you try to enter, they use a filtering mechanism and algorithm to determine who is allowed to go to the higher levels.
This makes the lower levels almost useless.
Since everyone is allowed into the club, it’s no longer special to be able to broadcast there.
It’s not that only certain people have the license to speak, everyone gets to speak.
Therefore, it’s not about who has access to distribute on the channels, it’s about how people find the channels.
It’s about who gets heard.
The search engine filters that…which leads us to our first gatekeeper:
Google’s Search Engine.
I know big shocker, right?
They have become one of the most powerful companies of the modern era because they decide what gets seen and what doesn’t.
They save you the hassle of having to look through millions of results for your search and bring you the best ones to the top.
But how does it know what are the best ones? How decide what is shown at the top?
When there are so many people it’s hard to know what’s good.
Usually, this power resided in the hands of the select head TV hosts or Radio hosts who curated what was being broadcast
The new system sounds more democratic since everyone can express their opinion, but it can actually lead to problems of its own.
The Cracks In The System
Now, information no longer needs to be suppressed or censored immediately. They just need to drown it out with noise. Bread and circuses basically.*
An example of this is Limewire, where instead of the government shutting down the service (because they couldn’t) they just uploaded millions of corrupt files so the platform became unusable for anyone trying to download songs from it.
Another story that shows this is one of the Leprechaun.
A man finds the buried treasure at the end of the rainbow so he plants a flag there and tells the Leprechaun, “Don’t touch the flag”. The Leprechaun agrees, and the man leaves.
But upon the man’s return, instead of just seeing his one flag, he sees millions.
The Leprechaun doesn’t have to touch the flag. He just has to make it impossible to find.
Therefore information doesn’t need to be shut out. It just needs to be rendered unusable, covered up, or rather thought to be not useful.
How did we end up in this position, where a select few companies hold the power?
The Creation and Incentives of The Existing Monetary Media Model. (Consumption changed because of ads)
The entire media industry was built off of the back of advertisements.
The more people that can watch the show, the more people they can broadcast to, which means more ad sales.
So the goal of TV was not to make the best show, it was to make a show that could be broadcast to the most people possible so that they could sell ad spots.
That’s why shows like Seinfeld were so popular and lasted so long. They could sell ads to anyone because the show was so general, thus creating more funds for the show to continue.
Think about how general the ads that are shown are there. They will say things like, “If you breathe air, and drink water then this product is for you.” They don’t care if you actually need the product, they just want you to think you need to buy it.
But since shows had nothing to sell to their audience other than ads, there were no other options on how to monetize.
That all changed with social media though.
The New Way You Can Monetize (More Power To Creatives)
You don’t need to sell your soul to the industry or sponsors to make money
It’s crazy how I see so many creatives say they hate selling stuff, then will shill off some weird ass sponsored product to their audience that they would never use themselves.
Instead of promoting themselves and their creations because it’s “not cool” or “not artistic”, they would rather sell their audience crap.
YOU DON’T NEED SPONSORS ANYMORE.
There are more ways that you can monetize your creations than ads.
Since you can now get direct access to your audience through a social platform you can sell directly to them.
This is what brought the rise of the “Direct To Consumer” model that has recently taken over.
Companies like Patreon, Bandcamp, and Substack are great examples of this.
Instead of getting support from sponsors, you can get support from your audience.
Sure, here’s a possible conclusion that maintains the style, tone, and formatting:
So What Now?
The abundance of information has profoundly changed how we create, distribute, and consume media.
The traditional gatekeepers have been disrupted, and new players have emerged as powerful curators of content.
However, this shift also presents opportunities for creatives to take control of their destinies.
By leveraging direct-to-consumer models and building authentic connections with their audiences, artists can bypass the need for sponsors and maintain their artistic integrity.
The key is to focus on creating value for your audience, rather than chasing algorithms or pandering to fleeting trends. Build a loyal following by consistently delivering high-quality content that resonates with your fans.
The abundance of information doesn’t have to be a curse.
It’s a double-edged sword that can either drown you out or amplify your voice.
The choice is yours: succumb to the noise or rise above it by staying true to your artistic vision and cultivating a genuine relationship with your audience.
In this new era of abundance, the creatives who will thrive are those who embrace the changes, seize the opportunities, and fearlessly chart their own paths.
The gatekeepers may have changed, but the power to create and connect has never been greater.
*Bread and circuses – the phrase means to generate public approval, not by excellence in public service or public policy, but by diversion, distraction, or by satisfying the most immediate or base requirements of a populace, by offering a palliative: for example food (bread) or entertainment (circuses). [From Wikipedia cause I didn’t feel like finding a real source to explain this lol]