This essay will examine and discuss the impact that the internet and online technologies have had on the work and services that studio session musicians provide to artists and musicians. The essay will further consider how the COVID19 pandemic of 2020/2021 has affected their work and working practices, particularly amongst those providing recording services to the growing number of independent and DIY artists. The author will draw from personal experience and the experiences of session musicians that the author has collaborated and worked with during the past two years.
Session Musicians
It is important to define who and what a session musician is. They are specialist instrumentalists, usually highly skilled musicians who work independently supporting artists recording in the studio or as backing musicians on live tours and shows. Traditionally in the past, record labels would have their own ‘house band’ or a select group of session musicians who would provide backing for artists recording on the label such as the Funk Brothers who provide the music for many Tamla Motown recordings (McDonald, 2020). But independent, DIY artists and musicians, are usually looking for a session player who can add their expertise to a track that is already recorded so a session musician who wants to service this growing market needs a home studio and a strong online presence. (Fellows, 2020)
Working Online as a Session Musician
The growth in independent and DIY music production has seen a proliferation of online platforms that allow musicians, producers, songwriters, vocalists and many others working in the music business to offer their services to satisfy this burgeoning demand.
Service Providers. Esession.com was the first service provider in 2005 (Gearwire, 2010) but this had closed by 2012, the year AirGigs.com went online. Not long after many other companies entered the online marketplace offering similar services. David Blacker (Blacker, 2021) Co-founder of AirGigs noted “We were the first marketplace for hiring professional studio musicians, vocalists and engineers. Then months later other companies came onto the scene, and now there’s more than a few” In fact there are currently ten serious players including AirGigs providing a platform to session musicians with a combined turnover of over $275 (Owler, 2021). It is evident therefore that there is a significant demand for the services of session musicians online. AirGigs have seen their online market grow tenfold in the last five years, a growth they attribute to access to affordable professional recording equipment and software, a growing move towards remote working as well as an acceptance amongst professional musicians of the viability of online working and collaboration. (Blacker, 2021)
The COVID pandemic accelerated this growth for service providers with increased interest as a result of venues being closed, live musicians effectively being out of work and new demand for the services of session musicians. David Blacker (Blacker, 2021) commented on how the situation changed at AirGigs “the pandemic has definitely forced interest in remote recording. The first few months of 2020, our phone was ringing off the hook, and our help desk was swamped with questions about how to get into remote recording”. Fiverr one of the largest online platforms for freelancers that offer myriad online services including providing a platform for session musicians have seen a similar increase in demand with new U.S. freelance registrations rising 48% year-over-year [Q3 of 2020], more than doubling the growth rate for Fiverr during the same time period last year, growth they attribute to COVID accelerating a shift towards freelancing (Forman, 2020). This accelerated growth in demand for online musician’s services as result of the COVID pandemic is echoed across the wider online ecommerce world where online UK sales accounted for more than 35% of all retail sales in January 2021 and 46% of UK consumers made an online purchase they had only previously bought in store (Retail Economics & Nat West, 2021).
Because of the technology available, online websites offering the services of session musicians to artists, musicians and producers have made it easier than ever to collaborate and release music. However, the boom in online service providers has resulted in inconsistent standards and a devaluing of musicianship. The authors own experience in using the online platform Fiverr bears this out, as of the fourteen commissions for session musicians or female vocalists made on the site in the last twelve months, three have been rejected by the author. The total cost of these completed sessions was just £326, an average cost of £29.63 including tips and service charges. Calum Robertson (Robertson, 2021), a UK based professional musician who both buys and sells services on Fiverr observed “online services have made it easier than ever before to collaborate and release music. The flip-side of this though is that the market is saturated with “quite good” musicians, and both as a consumer and a professional, it’s more difficult to sift through to find the gems. I think with this, because it’s become something almost anyone can do, the service is definitely valued lower, and price under-cutting is very prevalent”.
The Musicians. The rapid expansion of access to a wider market for the services of session musicians through online platforms such as AirGigs, Fiverr et.al. has proved to be generally positive for those offering their services from countries that previously would have been considered outside of the mainstream of music. Albanian guitarist, Altin Gjoni (Gjoni, 2021) a session musician with seven years’ experience noted “On the positive side (…) it gave opportunities for musician [sic] in non-so developed countries where there are no big studios or labels and also [provided] another way of working for musicians in all countries”. Before the advent of the many platforms for session players to offer their services, it would have been difficult for musicians in these countries to reach buyers outside of their own areas. Russian saxophonist Oleg Laverentev (Laverentev, Professional Session Musician, 2021) a session musician of six years’ experience commented on how offering his services on Fiverr created new opportunities for him “I used to perform at weddings, banquets, concerts, birthdays. But I like working on the Internet, I really aspired to this, I am interested in working with different producers and musicians from all over the world”.
The main downside to this opening up of the world to session musicians is the consequential effect it has had on the prices that they can charge for their services. Altin Gjoni (Gjoni, 2021) notes “The market sometimes dictates the prices in online workplaces like Fiverr, and that market has nothing to do with the music industry. There are orders where you can get paid 20$ and can get paid 200$ for the same exact job”. This disparity in pricing is borne out by comparing similar services from musicians in the UK and Russia. Alexander Bone (SoundBetter, n.d.) is an award-winning saxophonist based in the UK who quotes an average price for saxophone part for a song of $150. This is broadly in line with musician’s union rates of £97 – £130 for a recording session (Musicians Union, 2021). Oleg Laverentev, is a professional saxophonist from Russia who has participated in numerous competitions in Russia and internationally. Oleg recently quoted the following prices to the author
“Basic: Playing one sax improvisation line 10$
Standard: Improvising and providing 3 takes 15$
Premium: Using your examples, drafts 25$ ”
(Laverentev, Quotation for Saxaphone Services, 2021)
The different economic conditions in the UK and Russia can be shown to account for this disparity. The Big Mac index shows us that a Big Mac costs 135 roubles in Russia and £3.29 in Britain. With an exchange rate of 100.66 roubles to the £ this is £1.36 a 250% difference. However, the biggest difference is in net salaries. The average net monthly salary in the UK after tax is £1935.53 in Russia it is £324.22 a 497% difference. (Numbeo, 2021).
The COVID pandemic has also driven prices down and increased competition with more live musicians out of work. Calum Robertson (Robertson, 2021) notes “With so many live musicians out of work, many turned to online session work to replace their income. Alongside this, with many hobbyist musicians furloughed …, the market of available musicians for hire has been greatly increased”. However, it is not just prices that have come down, standards have also fallen. This does not mean that high quality musicians are not available on online platforms, they are. But as Altin Gjoni (Gjoni, 2021) comments “online services present opportunities to musicians that are still learning or are not really true professional yet – a thing that cannot happen in a studio situation or a live show”
Conclusion
Online platforms such as AirGigs, Fiverr, Soundbetter et.al. have undoubtably changed the landscape for session musicians who provide their expertise to the growing market of independent producers and artists. None of this would have been possible without the internet and access to high speed file transfer. It has facilitated collaboration between musicians all over the world. The COVID pandemic has accelerated this change. Independent producers having access to quality musicians can only be good for the music industry however the price competition from countries outside of the mainstream of music production can only be seen as negative for the musicians who have put so much time and effort into learning their craft and honing their skills. Ultimately this may have an adverse effect on the the music industry as it becomes less viable as a career option and becomes more of a sideline and supplementary source of income for hobbyist musicians particularly in those countries considered to be in the music mainstream such as the UK and US.