Gaming
Gaming and music are two industries that have always intertwined, but none more so than now. All you have to do is research the video game concerts and how they're growing in popularity to see how the two industries connect.
Travis Scott recently did a virtual music concert via the popular Fortnite game that over 43 million people watched. Will video game concerts become more of a thing over time? Industry experts predict that it's a new big business in the making. Although, nothing will ever replace the atmospheric buzz of a real-life crowd.
Think back to the simple days, however, of Guitar Hero, SingStar, and Dancing Stage. The iconic games that brought together music and gaming without it feeling like a game. Music has always influenced games, even for the soundtracks for games such as Tony Hawk, another iconic game. Tony Hawk's playlists defined the game. The music helped portray the personality of a skater and their life intricately by encompassing what it was like to be a skater in the '80s and '90s, simply skating and rocking.
It isn't just console games that music has a hold over; gambling and music have merged to create fun and exciting games. The online gambling industry is expected to be worth $72.02 billion by the end of 2021 for one simple reason - it is now easier than ever to gamble online. There are endless games that use music as the hook to keep players playing, like The Thunderstruck Wild Lightning - the perfect example of a game featuring epic music. Music gives players something to connect to, and that's what makes slot games so popular.
Social Media
Music and social media are the most tightly intertwined, with one now relying on the other heavily for promotion. Let's start with TikTok, a part of social media that experienced unprecedented growth in the years 2019/20. Many of the mainstream music charts feature a song that TikTok made famous.
One of the most famous musicians to come from TikTok is Olivia Rodrigo. She made the headlines recently for her song, Good 4 U, which got hit with copyright infringement because it sounds much like an old Paramore song - Misery Business. It might sting Olivia, but her success in the music industry is enormous, thanks to TikTok.
Many people turn to social media apps to promote their music in the hope of getting recognised, and it does happen. Artists such as Drake, Justin Bieber, and Lewis Capaldi often share videos of singers in the making who have tagged them in content.
There's also a significant connection between social media and established musicians who use the platforms to promote their new albums. Drake, and many of his celebrity friends, used social media to promote his album and made it the most downloaded album in history overnight.
Advertising
Music and advertising have always been two industries that rely heavily on each other. From annoying advert jingles that you can't get out of your head to Christmas adverts with the classic Christmas songs, advertising uses music to draw in the paying public.
Music triggers an emotional response, whether happy, empathic, sad, or excited - depending on the melody playing. Music that is played in most adverts is the most exciting part of the commercial. It's far easier to listen to an advert that has music playing rather than talking. Businesses and marketing teams prefer to use modern music to align with the imagery or words to create a unified message.
For every product and brand, there is a melody to match them that helps to promote brand awareness and customer engagement. A good example is sports clothing. Sports is fast-paced and energetic, so a powerful and fast tempo song on an advert can reflect that. Or, an advert is selling a Caribbean cruise, a tropical melody would make sense.
Music touches people's lives in various ways. Melodies are soothing during a time of need, invigorating when you need a boost, and soulful during a time of peace. Artists work tirelessly to produce new music that fuels our various needs. Everyone has their favourite genre but shares the same connection to the music.