What has the internet brought us? In recent times it might seem like it has done little good. It has inserted meaningless vocal stims into the vocabulary of the younger generations (I’m referring to brain rot for those unaware). Social media has eroded our real social life bit by bit, decreasing overall mental health, causing poor sleep, memory issues and academic struggles (How Social Media Affects Mental Health, 2025). And to top it all off Twitter now exists. But! Despite all of this, the internet has actually—believe it or not—brought us some benefits. One of those benefits being the democratization of the music industry. Have you ever wanted to make music? Well, you’re in luck! We’re in the 21st century, making and releasing music has never been this easy! Just download a free program, muck about in it for a couple hours and just like that you’ve got a symphony the likes of which SoundCloud has never seen before! Jokes aside, due to the internet, just about every possible aspect of the music creation process has been significantly simplified. Starting from the very beginning, the actual tools you need to start making music. As I mentioned before, anyone can start producing music with affordable (or completely free) digital audio workstations (DAWs) and virtual instruments (VSTs). Software like FL studio, Ableton Live and Logic Pro X have made it possible for anyone with a computer to make music with basically no barrier to entry (Ruff, 2025). On top of that, learning to make music has also gotten way easier. There are countless online guides and tutorials for any instrument or concept you can imagine. Physical music lessons are also more accessible than ever, albeit still expensive (Ruff, 2025). Good, you’ve made a song, now what? Well… Distribution! And yes, this too is easier. Platforms like Bandcamp, SoundCloud, YouTube, and of course Spotify have made it super easy to reach a worldwide audience. You don’t need a big-label contract to go viral or make money from making music. On top of that, social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok offer an easy way for artists to build an audience and engage with their community (Mdlbeast, 2024). This goes for the fans’ side as well, never has it been this easy to both find and play music. And here’s where we get to the crux, all of this combines to make the underground music scene more accessible than ever. Of course there are some concerns for the future, such as the fact that, due to the rise of algorithms—and AI—there could be a problem of the homogenization of music taste (Mdlbeast, 2024). This would be detrimental to niche and underground genres and artists. If we just take measures to protect and nurture these weaker, independent artists, we can stop worrying about the negatives and accept the future with open arms. Because, while AI is developing faster than ever and wars seem ever more prevalent day by day, for all music enthusiasts out there, all in all, it’s a great time to be alive.
References:
How social media affects mental health. (2025, 5 juli). https://deconstructingstigma.org/guides/social-media
Ruff, N. (2025, 22 januari). How the internet has changed the music industry. Recording Connection. https://recordingconnection.com/reference-library/how-the-internet-has-changed-the-music-industry/
Mdlbeast. (2024, 17 september). The Evolution of Music in the Digital Age. MDLBEAST. https://mdlbeast.com/xp-feed/music-industry/the-evolution-of-music-in-the-digital-age