Worlds collide at the event "Thinking Outside the Box: Why Technology Matters in Hip Hop," a discussion panel hosted by Playground Studios that focuses on the role of technology in the hip-hop music industry.
Playground Studios, a music production studio in Durham, has teamed up with Beats n Bars Festival and The Underground Collective to create a music industry seminar on technology and hip hop.
Chaka Harley, a co-owner of Playground Studios and panelist at the discussion, said the event will touch on the role of technology in music production and in music promotion.
“People are using social media to market themselves now as artists, as opposed to how it was in the beginning stages where you had to print out fliers to get your word out,” Harley said.
Harley also said the evolving music technology industry has changed the way people listen to, create and produce music. He mentioned how easy it has become to create with newer music manufacturing.
“There was a point in time where you had to have a bunch of outboard gear in order to produce music,” Harley said. “And now you just need a laptop, or even a phone in some cases.”
Harley hopes that the discussion will expose artists to the many opportunities that technology can create in the music industry. He said that there are many other avenues in the industry beyond being “a star.” Careers in production, management and promotion are lucrative and important roles in the music industry.
Crystal Taylor, owner of the Beats n Bars Festival and the moderator of the panel, hopes to create an interactive experience for people to understand the importance of technological techniques and tools within the industry.
“Components of technology work together in this world every day,” Taylor said. “I think we see that every day with the evolution of STEM, and it’s important to make sure the culture and community that is involved in hip hop understands how things go behind the scenes.”
