Good News Don't?Sell.

I’m hopeful.

You may want to read that again. I don’t think I’ve ever typed these words before.

In all seriousness, we need to talk about social media. I make it a point not to give marketing advice. I’m very unqualified for the job. Plain terrible. Hence, I shut my (loud) mouth. I can rant about it every once in a while, but that’s not quite helpful now, is it?

Today is different. Today I come bearing good news. Haha, I know.

It seems that we’ve reached a dead end. I’m sure you’ve noticed it too. It started last year.

Social media is toxic, but it also stopped being fun. Everything is over-produced these days. Completely over the top. A cut every second or less, zoom in, out, slide, huge captions in your face, etc… The desperate tools of audience retention.

We’re all growing tired of it. And it seems that the algorithm is pushing more and more natural-looking videos, closer to vlog-like content almost. The question remains, is it another trend or a more long-term change, a new era, if you will?

It’s too early to know for sure. But in any case, that’s great news in my book.

This mindset shift is bigger than just social media. It reveals a much deeper issue within our societies. And it will change the way we produce records.

I mentioned the loneliness epidemic last month. We’ve never been so connected, yet we’ve never felt more alone. At the end of the day, that’s what we all seek: genuine connection. Social media promised us connection, and failed to deliver.

How much can you relate to these auto-tuned, over-edited records, 100% digital, 100% fake? Artists, producers, engineers, session players: we’re all tired of making them. And guess what? The audience is also seeking something else.

Believe it or not, AI might even be speeding this process up. I’m putting my money on that. It’s half hope, half facts, but I’ve always been a bit of a gambler.

So, together, let’s head towards a decade of more natural-sounding music. Real performances, recorded by real people in a real room. These records will be harder to capture, true. Even more so after a couple of decades of editing every single note. Yet I am hopeful.

But then again, what do I know…

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