You can make music good enough for awards ceremonies if all you have is an Android, says rap’s newest rising star.
The days where it took a full production team to write four bars of music are over. Covid-19 has been the most recent incident in a long line of music industry failures. The days of belonging to the studio are gone. The rise of the independent artist has a lot to answer for, but mainly it is making a massive contribution to the changes currently rocking the industry.
26-year-old rapper Jay Pareil is already riding that digital wave towards independent success. Like so many others, he gave up on waiting for the big break that would catapult him to success. Instead, he set out to find it for himself.
Finding Fame by Going it Alone
When you choose to branch out into the world of music, there is no sure-fire way to rocket to the top. According to Jay, getting up every day and going to your day job to fund a rap career is one of the best things you can do for yourself. If you want to be a success in the music industry – studio support or not – hard work is the only thing that is going to get you there.
Still, Jay reckons it’s not as hard as it used to be. He tells a tale of young groups of rappers on the street corners of Philly. Rap battles were fought using nothing more than a metronome beat on a smartphone. Using an Android, you have the potential to create award-winning music, all from a mobile phone.
The wide availability of the smartphone has opened Gen Z up to a whole world of potential music artistry. Using your phone, you can download an app, use it to compose some sick tunes, and then put whatever words you want to it. What would have taken a whole sound suite a decade ago, now takes a single app.
The Music Industry is Changing, Says Jay Pareil
The way we buy and sell music is also changing, and that’s putting added pressure on the big names of the industry. When the independent artist can go onto SoundCloud or Spotify and release their own singles – taking the money directly without a sponsor or agent – then the established studios have a lot to think about. You can either cash in on that or you can get left behind… and it remains to be seen how big studios are likely to react.
Coronavirus has been the final nail in the proverbial coffin of the traditional music scene. Things like festivals, DJs and nightclubs might be a thing of the past. If we can’t all gather in large groups, then music needs to change to accommodate this. If we want to keep moving forward, things are going to have to change.
Jay Pareil: Rap Star
You can catch up with Jay Pareil over on YouTube or even find him on Twitter if you want to know more about the progress of the rap scene in Philadelphia. Who knows? He might even be able to give you tips on how to make it big.
