We are living in the digital era now. But how is this affecting the arts and artists in particular? It’s certainly true that there are negative, but there are plenty of positives to mention too. Read on to find out all about them.

Pros

Greater Democracy

The playing field is pretty much level today. Small artists can emerge from nowhere and have the power to take on bigger ones. This is largely down to the digital era and the way in which we consume art and entertainment. This greater level of democracy can make people give things a try more readily. They have less to lose if they just throw something out there and see how it does. It’s what many people are doing, and it’s even possible to market yourself as an artist through social media.

Direct Access to Market

When you create something these days, you can get out there and seen by people very quickly. There are far fewer barriers standing in your way when it comes to reaching an audience with what you’ve created. Musicians can use sites like tradebit to sell their music to the public. And Amazon Prime and Vimeo all allow filmmakers to upload their films and charge for viewings. These are things that can make it easier for an artist to make a name for themselves and find an audience.

New Ways of Creating

There are now more ways of creating and being creative than there ever have been. If you take filmmaking as an example, there was recently a feature length film that was shot on an iPhone. It won awards, reached huge audiences and use a technology that many of us have in our pockets. If you ask me, that’s pretty impressive. And the music industry is experiencing similar things. Recording equipment has never been cheaper or more accessible for people than it is right now.

Cons

More Difficult to Make Money

It’s never been more difficult to make money in the arts that it is at the moment. This is usually down to the growth of the digital era. For example, movies can be pirated and downloaded, and the same is true of music. These acts might be illegal, but they are still very much common place. The arts industries are clearly doing all they can to clamp down on this kind of activity. But they are never going to get to the point at which they wipe it out completely. You can’t control the spread of data and information.

More Competition

One of the things that is good about the digital era is also bad. For example, there is greater democracy, meaning that everyone has a shot of making it big. But this also means that there is far more competition out there than ever before. More people being creative is a good thing, but it means that more talented people are likely to slip through the net. It’s simply not possible for everyone to find the fame and success they want. Which means many people are left disappointed.