The internet enabled direct low-cost promotion channels between artists and listeners, bypassing mainstream media

For most of the 20th century, reaching a mass audience required placement in commercial radio, television, or print magazines — all gated by major-label relationships. The internet and social media create direct artist-to-listener channels: blogs, YouTube, and social networks let artists build audiences at near-zero cost. This is qualitatively different from DIY zine culture of the 1970s–80s, which required significant time and money to produce and distribute. While mainstream radio airplay remains important for global stardom, emerging electronic artists routinely build substantial audiences entirely through internet channels, making netlabel releases viable promotional tools.

Examples

An electronic artist releases an EP on a netlabel with a CC licence. Blogs pick it up, it circulates on Soundcloud/Bandcamp, is shared via social networks, and reaches thousands of listeners with no label or radio involvement.

Assessment

What promotional tools did DIY artists in the 1970s–80s use, and why were they inefficient compared to internet tools? What limitation of internet channels does the article acknowledge?