Digital Tech & Black British Music
An overview of digital technology and its influence on Black British music, Dr. Joy White takes us down memory lane.
Tinchy Stryder with his CD single "Breakaway" while in McDonalds' Bow E3 car park by Laura BrosnanTRENCH
From the arrival of MP3s in 1991—a compressed audio format that made it easier to download and share audio files—to the debut of the DVD (Digital Video Disc) in 1997, to everything now being just a click away on your mobile phone.
A.G by Laura BrosnanTRENCH
Digital music technologies have dramatically changed the way consumers access and listen to music over the years.
Loski backstage preparing for his headline show by Laura BrosnanTRENCH
Coupled with the emergence and widespread use of the Internet, this meant that UK Black music no longer had to rely on flyers, pirate radio and word of mouth to publicise events or share music.
Producer Jae 5 in his music studio by Laura BrosnanTRENCH
One of the first social networking sites, MySpace—launched in 2003—allowed artists to build a direct connection with fans; digital media store iTunes also arrived that year, allowing consumers to download and/or play music and videos.
On the flipside, file-sharing sites like LimeWire facilitated "digital bootlegging" as users downloaded and shared pirated music. This era also saw the emergence of online forums and blogs to discuss music that had been widely shared.
D Double E watching YouTube videos at Jamakabi's music studio by Laura BrosnanTRENCH
In 2005, YouTube—the online video sharing platform—stepped on the scene and changed the game forever and, shortly after, it began to see the emergence of channels dedicated to Black British music.
London Rapper C. Cane by Laura BrosnanTRENCH
The late, great Jamal Edwards was only 15 years old when he launched SBTV in 2006 as an outlet for the grime and UK rap freestyles/music videos that he filmed. Through partnerships, SBTV became a global brand and inspired many to follow its blueprint.
GRM Daily's Posty, SBTV's Jamal Edwards and Link Up TV's Rashid talk together while being filmed for YouTube Originals "Together We Rise" documentary by Laura BrosnanTRENCH
Since then, a number of other channels have been established, such as Link Up TV—a rap-focused platform founded by Rashid Kasirye in 2009—and GRM Daily (fka Grime Daily), which launched the same year.
Swifta Beater in a London studio by Laura BrosnanTRENCH
Now streaming platforms like Spotify (2006) offer continuous access to an enormous amount of choice. SoundCloud (2007)—an open access platform for listeners and musicians—is a global community of fans and artists.
Artist by Laura BrosnanTRENCH
While Bandcamp (2007) enables artists and labels to upload music and have more control over how the music and merchandise is sold.
D Double E getting his hair cut by Jamakabi at his music studio by Laura BrosnanTRENCH
For independent and up-and-coming artists, distribution could also be a costly activity, but now, thanks to music distros like CD Baby and Ditto, artists are able to get their music heard at extremely affordable rates.
Crowd during Unknown T's headline show (2019) by Laura BrosnanTRENCH
As well as that, artists now use Twitter, Instagram and TikTok as everyday promotional tools. Digital technology has helped spread the gospel of Black British music, in more ways than one.
This digital work has been produced in collaboration with PRS Foundation and POWER UP. The article was featured in TRENCH x Union Black's Chapter One: Game Changers zine.
Words by Dr. Joy White
Photography by Laura Brosnan [Frank Archives]
Videos by Haxorcat
Commissioned by TRENCH
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