Spanish
Conversations about music have changed in tone in recent years. What was once discussed in terms of albums, tours, or genres, today goes through screens, algorithms, and trends that last only a few days. In the midst of this accelerated scenario, industry professionals try to understand what it really means to "release" a song in an environment where attention lasts as long as a thumb swipe. Among them is Kimberly Bedoya, who after more than a decade working with artists and platforms has seen how the rules of the game are modified in real time.
One of the most visible changes is fragmentation. Today, the public rarely encounters a complete topic before moving on to something else. Songs travel in small portions, be it a chorus that goes viral, a verse that serves as a background for a video, or a fragment that ends up becoming a meme. According to Bedoya, this does not mean that music has lost value, but that it needs to integrate into broader dynamics. "It no longer competes with other songs, it competes with everything that appears on the screen," he comments.
In that context, traditional promotional strategies fell short. Releasing a single and hoping it makes its way on the radio or platforms is no longer enough. Campaigns are designed with many layers: pre-release content, short previews, interaction with specific audiences, and adjustments made on the fly based on user behavior. "It's not a plan that's written once and left to run," explains Bedoya. "Everything is constantly reviewed."
The speed at which information circulates also transformed the way results are evaluated. Previously, teams could wait weeks to measure the impact of a release. Now the indicators appear in a matter of hours. Countries that react differently, audiences that listen to a portion of the song and move on to the next, lists that go up and down in the same afternoon. Bedoya acknowledges that this immediacy generates pressure, but also provides valuable data. "The challenge is not to become obsessed with the numbers," he says. "You have to understand them, but not let them replace what the artist wants to tell."
Saturation is another topic that comes up in all of their conversations. Thousands of new songs enter the platforms every day, and many are lost before anyone can listen to them completely. In this overloaded environment, the identity of the project becomes key. For Bedoya, it is not enough to follow trends, because they all change too quickly. What remains is the artist's personality and the clarity of their proposal. "If everything moves very fast, the only thing that sustains you is that which does not change so much," he summarizes.
That frenetic pace also affects the teams working behind each release. Functions are mixed, schedules overlap, and decisions must be made with the information available at that moment. A&R, digital marketing, community management, and data analysis now appear in the same conversation. Bedoya believes that this integration is necessary, although not always easy. "It requires listening more, assuming that no one has the complete picture, and learning to coordinate," he says.
Another phenomenon he observes closely is the weight that digital culture took on in the construction of careers. An artist no longer presents himself only with his music, but with his visual language, his aesthetic preferences and his way of relating to followers. Audiences seek closeness, spontaneity and a certain transparency that was not so decisive before. This, however, does not imply permanent exposure. Bedoya insists that each artist must decide how much and how he shows, without feeling obliged to become a full-time content creator.
Although the industry changed, it also opened up new opportunities. Songs that would have gone unnoticed at another time can now find a global niche without relying on traditional radio stations or labels. Independent projects travel more easily and genres that previously had no space find their own audience. Bedoya values this democratization, but warns that not all opportunities are sustainable. "The real challenge is to turn a moment into a trajectory," he explains.
For those trying to understand how to navigate this landscape, Bedoya proposes a less alarmist view. Music remains the center, although it now coexists with screens, metrics, and dispersed audiences. The difference is that a good song is no longer enough: it needs context, narrative, and a team that understands how the digital flow works. In his words, "music didn't disappear, it just changed the way it reaches people."
In a scenario that moves so quickly, that constant adjustment can seem overwhelming. However, for those who work within the sector, it also represents an opportunity to rethink strategies, open new conversations, and explore paths that didn't exist before. The industry is changing, and Bedoya observes it with a mixture of curiosity and realism. Music is still there, although it now depends on many more elements. Perhaps the challenge is precisely to learn to coexist with all of them without losing the essence of the profession.
