Ever wonder if someone’s opinion can swiftly change the direction of an artist’s single? What if a couple of tweets or Tumblr posts could possibly make the biggest decision for a band? It's happening more since the digital age is now the norm. As the music industry struggles with the relatable topics of a certain artist or band’s audience, they take to the biggest social platforms to seek out fan's perspectives. It can also be a game changer for artists' image due to the fans' demand of what they want to see for their beloved musician.
There are many examples to explain why artists want to either branch out or explore their desired genre. Taylor Swift, former country singer, expressed her interest in pop, followed her interests and experimented with that sound. Could this drastic change work for everybody? Most likely not in the least. Her love for country music still lives in her soul, but her changing to a more popular genre changed not only her image, but also her style. When One Direction announced that they were going on hiatus, they also revealed that they would put out one more song. "Infinity" was the original single chosen and the fans were not happy. Quickly they changed to the song "History" due to the popular demand of what fans wanted to hear from the boy band.
With many interested fans wanting input on their favorite music artists' careers, does that make room for creative restrictions? The answer is no, depending on what parts of the fans' opinions the executives wants to take from. The fans realize how much power they can have over the movement of their beloved artist and can use it to the best of their ability. Giving praise to both the Swiftys and the Directioners -- they're two fan groups that can't be stopped.
Future music executives leading the record labels will hopefully see the impact, and encourage fans to tweet and leave messages telling them what they want to hear. Obviously the One Direction team (before going on hiatus) took the hint and made it their mission to make the demanded song a single. What the executives have to realize is that the fans spend time, money and energy to make sure their favorite artists or bands rise to the top. Most executives should stop and listen to what fans say and work with their marketing team as to what the fans demand. The music teams need to be smart in how fans react and what exactly they want to see of their favorite artists' career.
