As most things go in a world that is continuously changing, music also had to evolve. These radical shifts came with every generation. Where vinyl and 8-tracks once filled teenage bedrooms in 70s, cassette tapes came and took over in the 80s. Then came CDs and Discmans when the 90s rolled in. At the turn of the millennium, mp3 players and iPods were introduced. And most recently, if you are among the early adopters who were willing to abandon the way you have bought and listened to music for the last decade, you deleted your iTunes library and put your trust in the cloud. 
There is an undeniable level of convenience that technology brings to the way the world consumes music. But it comes at a price. The most glaring of which is how unprecedented access took away the tangible part of the music experience.
It is not necessarily always a bad thing. Technology has managed to open so many doors for musicians to share their art and audiences to discover great music—even if it is at the expense of being able to rifle through liner notes or make mixed tapes. But it also leaves room for a lot of clutter to come through. The Internet is known for it, and the music industry was not spared. What this meant was that musicians now have to work harder to get themselves noticed; and for audiences, sifting through the clutter was now an inevitable part of the user experience.
That being said, the local music industry has made remarkable inroads in its quest to embrace the digital transition and streamline content to offer thoughtfully curated Filipino music. Sites like Pinoytuner, Radio Republic, Amplify, Vandals on the Wall and Ndfy have become known as vanguards of the local music scene, empowering local talent and giving them a platform online where they can be heard.
But there is a lot more that can be done—opportunities where technology and music can combine with social entrepreneurism to introduce Filipino music to a wider audience and highlight local creativity to the world.
All in one PiLE
An idea borne out of the need to combine the school’s three main educational niches—computing, business and design—iACADEMY now seeks to fuse the school’s resources and address a demand, anchored on the universal language of music.
PiLE is a local search engine and sharing platform that intends to promote the local music industry. The goal is twofold—to introduce more Filipinos to the unfamiliar and but no less talented musical acts from this country; and, to those who already recognize the promise of Filipino musicians, to give both audiences and artists a chance to thrive in this evolving digital landscape.
Embracing ingenuity in a digital world
Despite its simplicity as a vehicle to empower the local music scene, PiLE is actually a first for the country.
“Our role is to make sure that Filipino music gets presented to more people who can appreciate the talent and hard work that goes behind creating it. Involving our students in something like this also means they get hands on, practical experience for an initiative that is relevant and important to them,” says Vanessa Tanco, President and CEO of iACADEMY.
With the support of the country’s top music industry players, artists, music enthusiasts and the altruistic vision of today’s youth with the technical skill to make it happen, the possibilities of how PiLE can change an evolving music scene is endless. The opportunity to constantly develop features to eventually create an ecosystem is present and it will never lose sight of the fact that it exists to celebrate Filipino talent.
“We are trying to build a really unique but immersive experience for our students. And in doing so, we get to put the spotlight on something that is relevant to everyone involved…something that can truly shape our future and we can take pride in,” Tanco ends.
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