Making it in the Modern Music Scene

YouTube. MySpace. SoundCloud. Triple J Unearthed. What do these words mean to you? If you’re an independent artist or musician trying to get noticed then they could mean absolutely everything.

In the current digital age where we are increasingly dependent on the Internet (we’ve all said the words “will there be free wi-fi?” At some time or another, right?) It’s not surprising that much of the music we listen to is heard online first.

The Internet has been the launching platform for many careers in the age of alternative media – think Justin Bieber, Carly Rae Jepsen or Rebecca Black sound familiar? They each experienced an exponential growth in their careers and fan base rises through YouTube. The power of the Internet is so strong that it catapulted these youngsters from singing in front of a camera in their bedrooms to singing in front of millions of people worldwide. Well, except for maybe the latter of that trio.

With the rise of these alternative media platforms, more and more artists are getting the chance to get their music out there. Triple J’s Unearthed is a pivotal program for sharing local music and giving Aussie artists the chance to be seen and heard. Sydney band Tiffany Britchford and the Reckless Abandon have Triple J to thank for one of their most recent gigs – a spot on a little ol’ festival known as Big Day Out in Sydney.

After entering a competition through Triple J Unearthed, the group found themselves as the leaders in voting in NSW and were picked by a team of professionals who gave them the green light for a spot on the coveted festival. Not bad for a group who have only been playing together for a few months!

The band’s drummer, Jake Tucker, said the experience was amazing and a dream come true.

“It’s a lot of fun making music, playing for people and meeting lots of other people who love music”, says Jake.

Their dreams have become reality with a lot of help from the digital music market, including exposure through Facebook and YouTube as well as having their very own 3-track EP available, enabling their music to reach as many people as possible.

Alternative media platforms are not only beneficial to the artists, but also to us as fans. We are experiencing more musical variety than ever before, as musicians are able to branch out from the traditional mainstream sound and offer their unique approaches. Without having to rely on a mainstream radio station to pick up and play their music, musicians can experiment with their creative side and deliver us with new sounds and genres, which has got to be a good thing!

Gone are the days where everyone listened to the same thing, all the time.

In today’s world we all have vastly different tastes and the alternative stations allow us to celebrate our diversity. Just a few years ago “Dubstep” and “Electronica” were foreign words, and “Trap” was a device used to catch wild creatures – not a music genre.

Now a new musical sub-culture seems to be coming out almost every week and us music fans simply adjust – adding new artists to our iTunes libraries and expanding our preferred genres to include things like “Galacticore”, “Crunk” and “Tricera-pop” (alright so I made that last one up, but you get the idea!)

With alternative media and the user-friendly creative outlets the Internet offers, the future of music is in good shape. A few months can see artists go from being just a kid with a keyboard or a microphone to one of the biggest stars on the planet. We are spoilt for choice as listeners and fans and expanding our variety constantly – the future is exciting for music lovers!

For any aspiring musos out there looking for your big break, here are a few tips on how to get yourself noticed:

1. Have a strong social media presence – The truth is these days if you’re not on Facebook or Twitter, you don’t exist. People use social mediaevery day and it’s a great way to get exposure and get your name out there. Share your music, information about gigs and make yourself accessible – the more people you know, the better,      plus you never know who might be paying attention!
2. Create a YouTube account – Chances are if you’re an aspiring musician you already have a YouTube channel set up showing off your talented self. But if not, set one up and let people see what you’re all about!
3. Sign up with Triple J’s Unearthed – As mentioned earlier, Triple J’s Unearthed program is a huge launching pad for local artists. You can post a few tracks and a bio on their page and let music lovers hear what you’re made of! Entering their competitions is also a great idea and excellent way of getting noticed.
4. Get onto SoundCloud – As well as having videos of yourself, SoundCloud allows you to post Audio clips online – another way to share yourself and your music which means more exposure which means more fans! Yay!
5. Gig as much as humanly possible – opportunity you get because you never know who might turn up, and the more practice you get the better you’ll be! Sooner or later  you could find yourself playing for a few dozen, or hundred, or thousand people – awesome!

Are you a band or artist looking for exposure? Why not send us an email at and get your music featured on our 5Why Podcast!