How has this entertainment and social media platform changed the music industry? Media influencers are paid thousands of dollars to promote the next biggest hit and the promotion outshines all other artists worldwide. Most of these hits are guaranteed to be featured on BillBoard’s Top 50 once they become featured on the app. It definitely pays to have someone on the inside. This can create division and contention for smaller artists without the funds to spread their music through 30-sec videos. I believe that this special kind of branding monopolizes the music industry and it has become more and more about the money and less about the artistic ability of the individual. Who is to say what is popular and what is not? Hint: it is not the consumer.

Artists now, have to dedicate countless hours to being content creators in order to stay relevant. With tours, recording sessions, meetings, and living a daily life, where are they supposed to find time for this new purpose? Is this the new way of music promotion?

As an avid music buff, I listen to and follow music artists for their creativity and technique and most of the songs I have on replay have a smaller audience, and some bands/artists like Rex Orange County, Mac DeMarco, Fleetwood Mac, and Steve Lacy are now “trendy” and “mainstream” (a real music fan’s least favorite words). Most music artists take the time, to write and compose meaningful lyrics that evoke unspoken emotions. Each song tells a story and listeners are left with a melancholy feeling that words failed to articulate. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the praise that they are receiving but it hurts to see my favorites become a trend, they deserve much more than that. If you like the artists because you can recognize the talent and effort it takes to create musical masterpieces, then by all means, add them to your monthly favorites.

The problem with trends is that they will eventually fade and leave us all awaiting the next biggest thing. That is how we have trained our brains in this society. We always want more–instant gratification. We refuse to wait for anything anymore. In a CNBC article titled, “Tik Tok is upending the music industry and Spotify may be next” the author, Ashley Capoot quotes, “Once a label signs you for $1 million, the pressure to perform trumps the art, which is why getting a deal too soon can mess up what otherwise might have been a beautiful, long career. (Capoot). Songs are not like how they used to be because of the pressure that comes with staying relevant and many recently-signed artists are not ready for the brutal reality that is the music industry.