Social networks and video streaming services allow artists to connect directly with their fans, reducing the need for costly public relations campaigns. In general, the digital era has led to a democratization of the music industry, improving opportunities for artists and professionals of many types. It is this combination of music that is strategically published on online streaming platforms, combined with the way in which fans consume it, that helps to exemplify the impact that technology and social networks are having on music. Speaking with DJs LYZZA and DJ Serene, who founded a queer electronic music collective called X3, based in Amsterdam, LYZZA highlighted how social media has allowed them to create a global community with like-minded people in the electronic music scene, which is especially powerful for queer people of color.
Therefore, many people in the music industry began to focus more on live music as the digital era decimated album sales. For example, more than half of the respondents use Twitter to follow or receive updates from artists and bands, and 63% of Snapchat users send or view photos and videos of live musical events. This democratization and proliferation of music through technology is a blessing for music lovers, as is the opportunity to see an artist live online from thousands of kilometers away.
