This is the first in a series of essays, tangentially at least, celebrating and exploring OUTSIDELEFT's 20th anniversary.
This year Outside left celebrates twenty years as a platform for the sorts of alternative and underground music, art and culture that other sites overlook. Twenty years is a long time in the digital world, where websites come and go in the blink of an eye. A lot has changed in that time, and it is well worth pausing to reflect on that.
Since the turn of the millennium, we’ve witnessed major transitions in how we consume and create art, from the days of DVD rentals to today’s streaming era. Through it all, we’ve held fast to our mission: to champion emerging talents across music, writing, and the arts, regardless of background or borders. As technology advanced, so did we, evolving from print to digital while staying a showcase and bridge for voices that might otherwise go unheard. Art is not simply self-expression, an act of resilience to a mentally ill society. Music is connection. Against the cyberworld’s false idea of connection within the algorithms under control and the dominance of the toxic cancel culture. Against the government's low funding of the arts.
Imagine a world where the only way to hear music was live, in real-time. No recordings, no playlists, just fleeting melodies. That was life before 1888. But in 1878, Thomas Edison took the first steps toward changing that with his invention of the phonograph, a device that could record sound on a tin foil wrapped cardboard cylinder. It was revolutionary, but playback quality was limited. Then, in 1887, Emile Berliner introduced a new idea: the gramophone. Unlike Edison’s cylinder, the gramophone used flat discs with grooves to capture sound, laying the foundation for the records we know today.
In the 1930s, jukeboxes burst onto the scene, revolutionising the way people enjoyed music. These early jukeboxes were basically coin-operated phonographs, but they quickly became more than just music machines. They sparked a whole social culture. Establishments began centering themselves around the idea of a jukebox as a gathering hub where friends could pick songs, dance, and unwind.
Meanwhile, radio was taking off in a big way, too. In the UK, radio was also booming, with the BBC leading the way. In the 1920s, the BBC began its first experimental broadcasts, and by the 1930s, radio had become a national phenomenon, with the BBC providing news, entertainment, and even classical music to listeners across the country.
By the 1970s and 1980s, as portable boomboxes emerged, in the UK, music became even more personal, allowing people to take their favourite tunes with them wherever they went and again a part of social gathering. This era marked a shift to portable music culture that set the stage for everything from Walkmans to today’s smartphones, more of a solo experience.
In the early 2000s, music was at an exciting crossroads. CD rental stores were still hanging on, vinyl was starting to make a nostalgic comeback, and the rise of MP3 players meant we could now carry entire music libraries in our pockets. Streaming, however, was already quietly revolutionising how we accessed music anywhere, anytime.
Contrary to popular belief, it all started back in 1999 with Napster, a peer-to-peer platform that let users share music freely, igniting a music-sharing frenzy that paved the way for the streaming age. By 2005, Pandora took it a step further by allowing users to create personalised internet radio stations, using algorithms to tailor music to listeners' tastes. In 2008, Spotify arrived, offering an expansive catalogue of songs, podcasts, and playlists on demand.
This platform would soon shift the entire music industry as younger generations increasingly turned from traditional radio to streaming for the sheer variety and instant access it offered. Streaming wasn’t just a new way to listen. It was a cultural shift that would shape the future of music consumption worldwide.
It is worth mentioning, the decline of radio began with TV in the 1950s and has since intensified with streaming, which now accounts for 83% of UK music consumption and has fuelled eight years of revenue growth for the industry. While streaming offers consumers vast access, its economic model leaves many artists with only fractions of a cent per stream, creating a stark income gap between superstars and emerging musicians. As a result, artists increasingly rely on live shows, merchandise, and fan platforms like Patreon to make a living. Streaming’s preference for frequent, short releases has also shifted music production, sparking debate on whether it emphasises quantity over quality.
Since the 2020 pandemic, with much of life shifting online, vinyl has experienced a notable revival, bringing back a tangible connection to music that many missed. Though CDs once overtook vinyl with superior sound quality and portability, they introduced features like track skipping and random access, allowing listeners to easily navigate between songs. The CD era marked a time of significant technological progress, transforming how music was marketed and consumed by making it more accessible and user-friendly.
Social media platforms like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter were game-changers for artists, allowing them to connect directly with fans and promote their music. SoundCloud, in particular, became a hub for talent discovery, helping industry scouts find hidden gems and new voices.
The rise of viral videos transformed music marketing, with YouTube providing a platform for artists to showcase their talent and reach massive audiences. This exposure allowed many artists to gain popularity in ways never possible before.
Today, platforms like TikTok and Instagram let fans actively participate by creating content using an artist’s music, whether through dance videos, covers, or remixes. This user-generated content often goes viral, spreading the word about a song or artist and creating a ripple effect of exposure.
With technological advances, personalisation and AI are now shaping the future of music marketing. Streaming platforms use AI to create curated playlists based on individual listening habits, enabling artists to connect with fans on a deeper level and offering a more immersive music experience. AI has also sparked debates about copyright with its ability to replicate voices and sounds. It even supported The Beatles in their latest song, leading to a Grammy nomination.
A worthy statistic to play into consideration is generation Z is the most active and leading listener in terms of podcasts and music. What does the future hold in terms of consuming music? Would it be an app’s algorithm that connects people genuinely by listening to the same song at the same time?
I myself came across Outsideleft two years ago at a university literary event, where Lamontpaul fell for my Judy Garland centenary special piece—and the rest is history. Since then, it’s been more than just a platform; it’s been a bridge, connecting me with fellow artists and readers and allowing me to explore culture. Outsideleft has become my gateway to bringing my Brazilian perspective to a global audience, shedding light on minority voices, and discovering unexpected links between them and others with the UK and US, aiming at beyond. It’s been a space where creativity knows no borders, and I’m honoured to be part of its journey.
An entirely independent media hub, which has produced books, records, and music events, there is no compass in Outsideleft's flight plan.
Main image: collage of free use logos
