Years ago, creating music digitally was expensive, difficult, and time consuming, but today, anyone with a phone or laptop is able to create. Music production no longer requires bulky equipment and costly software, making it more accessible than ever before.
More people than ever are able to access music making software and experiment with their own creations. Allowing everyone from professional musicians to hobbyists to create music. This has also changed the way people publish music. Kenny Segal, a music producer in Los Angeles, reminisced about a very different experience when starting to produce music.
“When I was starting out 25 years ago, making music with computers was pretty obscure. Hardware samplers and synths were really expensive,” Segal said. “If you wanted to make music, especially beats and electronic music, you had to be committed to getting the equipment and learning how to use it.”
In the 1990s, music production required expensive equipment and specialized technical knowledge. According to Segal, in today’s world, those barriers do not exist.
“Now, with apps on your phone and sample libraries like Splice, you can make music on a much more casual level without committing as much time and effort,” Segal said. “It makes it so almost anyone can try it out if they want to.”
Miles Barker, a sophomore at LASA, enjoys making music and was introduced to it through inexpensive software like GarageBand. It gave him a pathway into digitally making music, while allowing him to not make it too big a commitment.
“I started on GarageBand because it was free and already on my MacBook. It allowed me to create music at all and really start developing my sound and gaining experience,” Barker said. “I did not begin sharing my music publicly until I moved to Logic Pro, but without an accessible program like GarageBand, I never would have gotten to that point in the first place.”
Barker explained that without the accessibility of software like GarageBand, he would not have been introduced to making music. The accessibility is not just a convenience for young artists; it’s the reason they are able to create their own music at all.
“Overall, I would say I feel more empowered,” Barker said. “I probably would not even be making music if it were not so accessible in the first place.”
However, not everyone who uses these software aspires to be a musician. Kaius Carson-Powers, a freshman at LASA, only makes music recreationally.
“Being introduced to online platforms like Ableton Live gave me a wide range of options to make whatever type of music I wanted and easily sample songs,” Carson-Powers said.
Although the barrier to entry has dropped for recreational music producers, creating still has costs. It’s important for recreational music creators to be able to find a middle ground between professional software and an affordable price. For many, this is the most important part of finding a fitting software for them.
“Ableton is not cheap, but it is definitely accessible and reasonable. A lot of other software requires a significant financial burden,” Carson-Powers said. “I think anyone can try. It is fun to do in your spare time and can just be an enjoyable pastime.”
As technology advances, more people than ever have the ability to create and share their music. Although this makes it harder to stand out, it gives aspiring musicians a voice and an outlet to create their own music. Producing music is no longer limited to those with expensive gear and formal training. Instead, it is open to anyone to try.
