December 7, 2022
Rina Sawayama has burst into the consciousness of queer music listeners in recent years. My first time listening to her work was Cherry, a track that is bubbly ...
Read more.png)
October 4, 2022
In the wake of Tiktok’s rapid expansion and growing dominance in the short-form video market, YouTube has felt the pressure to adapt to keep up with the shifting demands of its audience...
Read more
October 5, 2022
Conan Gray is an American YouTuber turned singer-songwriter, most well-known for his songs about heartbreak and unrequited love. Throughout his career, Conan has written songs like “Crush Culture”...
Read more
October 17, 2022
Phoebe Bridgers is an American songwriter, singer, and producer who has, in recent years, gained mainstream recognition with the release of her sophomore album “Punisher” in 2020...
Read more
October 18, 2022
Steve Lacy is a singer, songwriter, record producer, and living proof that you don’t need the most advanced or high-tech studio equipment to create music that listeners will love...
Read more
August 31, 2022
For the last two years, there has been something missing in the lives of music lovers around the world—live music. The advent of a global pandemic meant the absence of concerts, festivals........
Read more.jpg)
August 19, 2022
One of the biggest questions many spaces face today is how blockchain technology may overhaul industry norms, and the music industry is no exception. In particular...
Read more
August 19, 2022
Snapchat has recently announced Snapchat Sounds Creator Fund, a monthly grant program of up to $100,000 awarded to independent artists distributing music on the platform...
Read more.jpg)
August 15, 2022
Over the past few years, TikTok’s popularity has significantly increased resulting in 1 billion global daily users by early 2022. The app has also become extremely influential in the current music....
Read more.jpg)
August 4, 2022
Charlie Puth has paired with Studio to create a 30-day online course that outlines the entire songwriting and production process for $279 USD. This hands-on learning experience has been marketed....
Read more
August 2, 2022
Whether you know Lexie Liu from her performance as Seraphine in K/DA’s “MORE” or her fourth-place finish on The Rap of China 2018, there’s no denying that the Chinese hip hop star is a global ...
Read more
June 17, 2022
BTS is the most famous K-Pop band in the world now, and recently, they were invited to the white house to speak about anti-Asian hate crimes and inclusivity. Being the first K-Pop band to be...
Read more
Photo credit: Unclear Magazine
Before the invention of TikTok, many music artists gained popularity through YouTube. However, similar to the TikTok stars of today, people in the music industry saw ‘YouTube bands’ as lesser because of how they became popular. Against the Current is one such band.
Who is Against the Current? Against the Current (ATC) is an American pop-rock band that formed in 2011. The current members include Chrissy Costanza on vocals, Will Ferri on drums, and Dan Gow on guitar. Since their formation, they’ve released two full-length albums and many singles. They’ve also had the chance to collaborate with Riot Games for three different League of Legends championships.
For the first few years after its formation, ATC focused on its YouTube presence. Their videos included both their original music as well as covers of famous songs. These covers were often collaborations between other YouTube musicians, like Alex Goot.
All of this proved successful. In fact, they became so popular that by 2015 they signed to the record label Fueled By Ramen. Other artists Fueled by Ramen have worked with include Paramore and Twenty One Pilots. After signing, ATC released their second EP “Gravity,” and, subsequently, went on a tour through Europe, North America, and Asia.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
ATC’s success didn’t come without problems, of course. People in the traditional industry often looked down on them. Not because of the music they made, but because of where they made it. ATC, like many YouTube bands, was not considered a “real band” because of its online presence.
These criticisms didn’t stop once they had a record label, nor when they went on their four-month tour.
Others didn’t like that ATC was playing sold-out shows, even if the places were small venues. “They thought we needed to pay our dues, to play to 30 people a night,” says Costanza during an interview. She then points out that they have played those kinds of shows before, but that didn’t matter to other bands.
ATC thought they would catch a break when they were invited to the Warped Tour traveling punk festival in 2016. That wasn’t the case. During the festival, ATC ran into multiple bands that said this tour was a chance for ATC to play for real and ‘earn their cred.’
In the band’s interview, Costanza admits that it was frustrating to have the band’s achievements dismissed and looked down on over and over again. All because people didn’t like “how [they] did things.”
And this trend continues with TikTok stars today. Costanza believes that the content industry gets so much criticism because people “hate what they don’t understand.”
Despite the criticism, ATC is still thriving today, both online and offline.
What can we learn from ATC’s past?
Well, just because someone’s journey is different from the norm, that doesn’t mean their method is any less valid. Maybe, you can even learn something from them to help your own journey.
If you’d like to listen to Against the Current, check out their latest music video at the link below!
