Welcome to the blog of Dr. Lisa Burns' Media Studies senior capstone class (Section B) at Quinnipiac University. If you're looking for the latest on media industry trends and insightful media analysis, you've come to the right place.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Music Blog 6, Question 3 (March 28th)
What are some of the changes that
artists have prompted in the music industry in recent years? How have they taken more control over
their careers? And do they still need the backing of a major record label in
order to succeed? Limit: 7 responses
Huge artists like Kanye West, Drake, Arian Grande, and Rihanna have all followed the trend of initially distributing their content exclusively with one streaming service. Many record labels are against this exclusivity but even if they don’t approve their artists are still finding ways to get around it. For example, Frank Ocean payed his way out of his contract with Def Jam for over $2 million and released his own album, Blond, exclusively to iTunes. While the exclusive deals don’t help the record labels they can really help well known artist. In a Billboard article Halperin explains, “For some artists and managers, however, taking advantage of the streaming companies’ high-stakes, high-spending battle for market share offers a portal into direct deals with retailers that could make an affiliation with labels look redundant.” Many labels are disagreeing with the benefits of exclusives and believe that when the artist distant themselves from their labels and goes exclusive they are missing out on bigger opportunities. However, the artists are really enjoying taking control of their careers and producing content that is more their style. The problem with being attached to the labels is they have a say in the type of music that’s created and this may not match with the artist’s wants. Releasing content via streaming-only is now backed up by the Recording Academy. This allowed artists like Chance the Rapper to receive nominations and ultimately win Grammys this year (Rys). This is going to influence more artist to start releasing content this way because ultimately this is where the entertainment industry is going. While it may not be in the best interest of many for now it’s a great way to showcase and promote extremely talented artists. Chance the Rapper didn’t need a record label and instead created a team of people whom he trusted to help create and promote his music. His album has so far been the only album to hit Billboard 200 chart based on streaming metrics alone, with no sales (Rys). He did everything without a label and controlled the whole process. This is a dream to most artists. Having total freedom. I think without labels and other forms of distribution many jobs will be taken away, however, the industry seems to be heading in that direction. Ultimately, with no record label backing an artist they would need to have immense talent in order to succeed. So far Chance has been the only artist to really succeed in this field but, there will definitely be more in the future because of the freedom it brings.
Rys, Dan. "Chance the Rapper's Chart Debut Is the Latest Streaming Milestone in a Year Full of Them." Billboard. N.p., 23 May 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
Rys, Dan. "Recording Academy Embraces Streaming with Changes to Grammy Rules." Billboard. N.p., 16 June 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
Halperin, Shirley. "From Beyonce to Frank Ocean, Breaking Down the Mechanics, and Politics, Behind Streaming Exclusives." Billboard. N.p., 25 Aug. 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
Danial Donnelly The music industry has gone through many changes in the past decade, and those changes are affecting the way we listen to new music today. Music used to be centered around album sales and radio play, but with the various ways for consumers to get music, the industry has had to adjust its ways. Streaming services have not only given the consumer an easier and more efficient way to get their music, but they have also allowed the artist to have more control over the music they produce, and how they make their music public. More and more artists are appearing on the scene because of some of these streaming services, and more people are turning to these services instead of the traditional way to get music. Spotify and Apple Music are services that you can use for free, or pay a subscription for, and allow you to essentially download any song or album you could ask for. Beyond that, SoundClound is another service that anybody can use to release their music freely and have people listen and favorite or create playlists with whatever song is released. Artists such as Chance the Rapper and Lil’ Uzi Vert have utilized this new phenomenon and have boosted their careers dramatically through these services. Chance the Rapper is this year’s Grammy Award Winner for best new artist, best rap album, best rap performance, and was a nominee for various other awards. Chance is one of the world’s most popular music artists right now, and he shows no signs of slowing down. What helps make Chance strand out is that he is not signed to any major label or studio. His first two mixtapes were available for free download online, and both of them were extremely successful and have helped him gain popularity going into his third mixtape. His third mixtape, Coloring Book, was released through Apple Music for a 2-week stream, and that mixtape became the first streaming only album to chart the Billboard 200 and received 338 million streams. Chance’s great success shows how major labels may not be a necessity in today’s music industry. Independent artists are becoming more powerful and significant through these streaming services because it gives artists a chance to gain popularity without being tied down to a label.
Another benefit artists enjoy from new streaming services is being a part of a playlist. Spotify and Apple Music have playlists with certain genres of music that anybody with subscriptions can listen to. People can also download songs off these playlists and add it to their own library or playlist if they choose to. For example, Rap Caviar is one of Spotify’s most popular playlists and the playlist gets updated with new rap music every week or so. If an artist gets one of their songs on the playlist, more people become aware of the artist and that song and ultimately gain popularity. It is another way for the artist to get noticed in a world where there is so much competition in each music industry. It also gives artists the freedom to release music as they want, instead of putting together an entire album to release at once. Now that artists are getting paid for these downloads and streams, I expect the focus of music to continue to move into this direction, and away from CD sales and radio play. Works Cited Austen, Ben. "The New Pioneers: Chance the Rapper Is One of the Hottest Acts in Music, Has a Top 10 Album and His Own Festival -- All Without a Label or Physical Release." Billboard. Billboard, n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2017. Ihaza, Jeff. "The Playlist Is the New Album." The Outline. The Outline, 13 Mar. 2017. Web. 27 Mar. 2017. Rys, Dan. "Chance the Rapper's Chart Debut Is the Latest Streaming Milestone in a Year Full of Them." Billboard. Billboard, n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
The music industry has undergone many changes in the last decade. Due to the Internet, we have seen an influx of new ways to listen to music, as well as many new ways for artist’s to promote and distribute their music. Huge stars like Beyonce and Kanye West have strayed from the norms of the music industry and began to release their albums as streaming exclusives (Halperin). This gives them the flexibility to release their work at their desire and to a unique group of streaming-subscribers. This new industry trend is a way to combat piracy and Internet file sharing. However, it also creates a difficulty for fans trying to listen to the music. Kanye Weset and Beyonce released their albums on Tidal, an audio streaming service that requires a monthly subscription in order to receive exclusive content. Apple, for example, signed a deal with Drake to release his momentous album Views as an Apple Music exclusive. These exclusivity deals have their pros and cons because subscribers of the service are thrilled at the opportunity to receive popular content exclusively, yet the rest of the music audience have to deal with waiting for the album to become available on all other platforms. It is interesting to see the surge in streaming subscriptions over the past few years, but it is important to observe the radical changes they have caused to the music industry.
Another big change in the music industry has been the rise in independent music artists. More and more artists have been taking the independent route because they are recognizing that support from a major label is not necessary to make it in the music industry. Many independent artists have been releasing albums for free because they care more about the music than the money. Today’s most popular example of this is Chance the Rapper. Chance has been on the rise for the past few years and much of his success has been credited to his decision to remain an independent artist. Today’s artists are quickly catching on that they can thrive as independent artists. They are aware of the many tools at their disposal that they can use to promote and distribute their music. These artists value their freedom to create more than some cash bonuses. Chance is a great example of this because he released his debut album, Coloring Book, as a streaming exclusive, and it became the first album to reach the top billboard 200 (Rys). It also went on to win multiple Grammys, a first time scenario for a streaming exclusive. Artists like Chance are paving the way for other independent artists and showing them that the backing by a music label is not necessary to make it in the industry.
Works Cited Rys, Dan. "Chance the Rapper's Chart Debut Is the Latest Streaming Milestone in a Year Full of Them." Billboard. N.p., 23 May 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2017. Halperin, Shirley. "From Beyonce to Frank Ocean, Breaking Down the Mechanics, and Politics, Behind Streaming Exclusives." Billboard. N.p., 25 Aug. 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
Artists have more control now than ever because of evolving technologies. Amateur artists can post their content to YouTube, SoundCloud and a slew of other sites to get their music out there. But the Internet and streaming services aren’t just benefitting amateurs; they’re helping established artists too. Now that there is a variety of ways to release content, between physical sales, downloads and streaming, they have some leverage over streaming companies. The biggest change that artists have seen is exclusivity. Many artists have chosen to release their content exclusively over one platform, instead of releasing it to all possible outlets. Although exclusive releases might not be best for the music industry in general, it gives artists a sense of more control over their content. 2016 was the year for exclusive releases as “Drake’s record-smashing, two-week Apple Music exclusive Views reigned atop the Billboard 200 (it would spend six months in the top five of the chart, and 10 weeks at No. 1), five of the 13 albums released in 2016 to hit the top of the chart had debuted exclusively through one of two streaming services: Views and Future’s Evol on Apple Music; Rihanna’s Anti, Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo and Beyoncé’s Lemonade on Tidal” (Rys “It Was the Year of the Album Exclusive”). Artists have the agency to be exclusive or inclusive with their content because of their relationships and deals with different streaming services. However, notice that Spotify does not partake in the exclusive deal game, for the better of the music industry. The Global Head of Creator Services for Spotify, Troy Carter, commented that “exclusives are bad for artists, bad for consumer and bad for the whole industry…As a manager, I would want my artists’ music to be everywhere. When you carve it out to one service, you miss out on fans” (Rys “It Was the Year of the Album Exclusive”). Spotify has been strictly anti-exclusive, and will most likely stay that way for the coming years. Regardless if it’s bad for the industry or not, exclusivity does give artists some control and input over their content.
Another way that artists are changing the music industry is portrayed best by Chance the Rapper. Chance the Rapper is single-handedly disproving the long held notion that all artists need to be backed by major record labels in order to succeed. His release of Coloring Book debuted May 13th 2016 “as a streaming-only exclusive on Apple Music without a retail or download option… Coloring Book holds the title as the first ever release to appear on the Billboard 200 chart with 100 percent of its equivalent album units coming from streaming, as its 57.3 million streams account for 38,000 equivalent album units” (Rys “Chance the Rapper”). However, his latest album drop wasn’t the first time he made waves in the music industry. Once he dropped his album Acid Rap in 2013, he and his manager knew that he wouldn’t partake in the typical artist experience. His manager, Pat Corcoran, commented, “we discovered going with a label wasn’t for us” (Austen). Instead, Chance made his career off of tours, merchandise, meet-and-greets and deals with Apple and other companies. Chance noted, “It’s not about the music being free. It’s about how it is displayed and made accessible and about artistic power. It was always about the artist-to-fan relationship” (Austen). Chance has proven that there could be a different way that the music industry works. After he set this precedence, there’s bound to be more artists who follow suit.
Works Cited Austen, Ben. "The New Pioneers: Chance the Rapper Is One of the Hottest Acts in Music, Has a Top 10 Album and His Own Festival -- All Without a Label or Physical Release." Billboard. N.p., 11 Aug. 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2017. Rys, Dan. “It Was the Year of the Album Exclusive…and the Year They Faded Away.” Billboard. 22 December 2016. Web. 27 March 2017. Rys, Dan. "Chance the Rapper's Chart Debut Is the Latest Streaming Milestone in a Year Full of Them."Billboard. N.p., 23 May 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
In the more recent years, the trends of television and the trends of music seem to have mirrored each other. The traditional way that people received their content was changing, and both industries are delivering more over the top (OTT) services to give people the content they want. When it comes to the artist stake in music, and the changes they have involved, two artists come to mind: Taylor Swift and Chance the Rapper. These people publically voiced the way they wanted their music enjoyed, and wanted to give the artists a bigger voice in the industry- rather than allowing producers and managers to make sole decisions. In 2014, when Taylor Swift pulled her music from Spotify, she called it a “grand experiment that [she felt didn’t] fairly compensate the writers, producers, artists, and creator, and [she was not] willing to contribute [her] life’s work to.” (Ahmed) Chance the Rapper was another vocal artist who was adamant about the art staying true, and music being available to as many people as possible. This resulted in his releasing his most recent album ‘Coloring Book’ on Apple Music with a “stream only” option. (Rys) However, I use the word “album” loosely; as this is what a major release of music tracks by artists have been called. Chance is also a notable artist in that he is one that has been vocal about refusing to sign to a record label. Remarkably, he hasn’t needed one. He has been on tour with Childish Gambino, Mac Miller, Kanye West, and others. (Austen) Although “it’s not about the music being free,” he has been consistent with providing it on streaming services and soundcloud-, which can be accessed freely. However, more recently, albums are being traded out for playlists. Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Frank Ocean are some of the more prominent people who have done this more recently, but they are not alone. Singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens says it best when he asks: “why do people make albums anymore when we just download?” (Ihaza) It is a fact that album and physical sales are declining, and downloads and streaming are increasing- in fact, the latter two now make up the majority of the music industry’s revenue. (Ihaza) Because of this, we see artists going beyond the basic title. This trend will only continue to increase- where artists will hold more than one title (i.e. singer, writer, actor, playwright, dancer, etc.) to remain relevant. Beyoncé did this in her feature album film ‘Lemonade,’ Frank Ocean did it in his playlist and radio show on Beats 1, and many other artist will follow in suit. Artists are taking over how they can release music- and in case like Swift, having more say in what they make off their music. The creation of Tidal by Jay Z was another example of artists wanting to put the mic back in the hand of the creators. It saw exclusive releases from major artists like Rihanna, Kanye West, and Beyoncé. These are some of the ways they artists are taking over their careers and brands now. Now, Apple and Tidal have “exclusive playlists, live streams, music videos, radio interviews, single releases, and original video content.” (Rys, It Was the Year of the Album Exclusive - and the Year They Faded Away) Artists are digging deeper into their creativity to make themselves a *brand* rather than just a standalone. People like Chance the Rapper prove that it can be done without a major label backing them, however, that model might not be self-sustaining if the individual does not have the money and major followings at first.
Ahmed, Tufayel. "TAYLOR SWIFT'S MUSIC MAY BE RETURNING TO SPOTIFY." 30 November 2016. Newsweek. Web. March 2017.
Austen, Ben. "The New Pioneers – Chance the Rapper Is One of the Hottest Acts in Music, Has a Top 10 Album and His Own Festival -- All Without a Label or Physical Release." 11 August 2016. Billboard. Web. March 2017.
Ihaza, Jeff. "The Playlist is the New Album." 14 March 2017. The Outline. Web. March 2017.
Rys, Dan. "Chance the Rapper's Chart Debut Is the Latest Streaming Milestone in a Year Full of Them." 23 May 2016. Billboard. Web. March 2017.
Rys, Dan. "It Was the Year of the Album Exclusive - and the Year They Faded Away." 22 December 2016. Billboard. Web. March 2017.
It’s no surprise that music artists have had trouble in making a profit off of the music they create. With past issues of LimeWire, the rip-off of record companies, and streaming services that are offered today, artists have had to change the ways in which they generate revenue with their music content. One person who has made history and has proven that artists no longer need the backing of a major record label company is Chance the Rapper. Chance has found a different way to make a profit for his content without the representation of a label, and as a Grammy-award winner, it is clear that his way works. In Billboard’s article, “The New Pioneers,” Ben Austen explains how Chance has paved his own path of success. “Chance has earned money not from 99-cent downloads but from tours, merchandise, meet-and-greets and his deals with Apple and other companies” (Austen). Chance has recognized that people will support authentic artists that create good music, and that is exactly what he does. Chance has his career in his own hands and is not going to sell his soul to a record label company. With the possible loss of revenue from illegal downloading of music, I think many artists have realized that the one way to create a bigger profit for themselves is to increase the price of concert tickets. In the past, concert tickets were more affordable for fans to buy than they are now. I have heard the insanely high prices tickets sell for Beyoncé and I wonder if I will ever be able to see her in concert. In Randy Lewis’s article in the Los Angeles Times, it explains the high amount of profit artists made within the year of 2016. “Bongiovanni noted that Beyoncé took top honors for the highest-grossing North American tour of 2016, but the figure for that portion of her world tour was not released.” But high concert tickets are not the only way that artists are making a profit. Artists such as Beyoncé, Rihanna and Drake have released their music on exclusive streaming services such as Tidal.
In an article from Music Business Worldwide, Jacob Whitesides explains the importance of touring. “A lot of artists don’t need deals; if they can establish a solid touring foundation, they can make money and pay their bills” (Ingham). I think that artists are recognizing that they no longer need a record label company in order to reach success. Record label companies have given the music industry a bad name, as it has been proven that artists are not making the money that they should be. For example, popular artists such as TLC and New Edition have created popular music and have had successful albums, but they have been taken advantage of with record label companies. I think that with the current situation of artists such as Chance the Rapper and the continuous changes in technology, there may be a time in the future when record label companies are no longer needed.
Works Cited
Austen, Ben. "The New Pioneers: Chance the Rapper Is One of the Hottest Acts in Music, Has a Top 10 Album and His Own Festival -- All Without a Label or Physical Release." Billboard. 11 Aug. 2016. Web.
Ingham, Tim. “So... Do Knew Artists Really Need to Sign a Record Label?” Music Business Worldwide. 19 Jul. 2016. Web.
Lewis, Randy. “Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce Post Top-Grossing Tours of 2016.” Los Angeles Times. 28 Dec. 2016. Web.
In recent years many artists have changed the way they produce and distribute their music. Beyoncé refused to allow her music on any streaming services as to keep her music and the way it was distributed in the past alive so as not to fall into the norms of society. Many artists have kept their music off streaming services as to not discredit the integrity of the music itself. The music industry has been changing drastically over the last few years. According to Dan Rys, “Nielsen Music announced in its annual report that the total number of streams nearly doubled in the U.S. in 2015, going from 164.5 billion songs streamed in 2014 to 317.2 billion in 2015, an increase of 93 percent. That added 101.8 million equivalent album sales in the period year-over-year, rising to 211.5 million and spurring a 15.2 percent gain in consumption units to 549.4 million” (Rys). With streaming doubling in the last year the industry needs a new avenue of releasing new music to the public Something that will keep up with the ever changing digital age. To keep up with the 24-hour news cycle and non-stop digital media, the next release idea to come into play is exclusives through these streaming networks. According to Dan Rys, “By June it seemed set in stone -- 2016 would be remembered as the year of the exclusive album release. As Drake's record-smashing, two-week Apple Music exclusive Views reigned atop the Billboard 200 (it would spend six months in the top five of the chart, and 10 weeks at No. 1), five of the 13 albums released in 2016 to hit the top of the chart had debuted exclusively through one of two streaming services: Views and Future's Evol on Apple Music; Rihanna's Anti, Kanye West's The Life of Pablo and Beyoncé's Lemonade on Tidal” (Rys). Exclusives have been the way to go for music releases over the last year and I don’t see that changing any time soon. If anything music will become more digital and there will be less albums sitting on shelves in stores and less digital albums to buy when you have streaming services. Artists now have many streaming services to choose from and they have major rollout plans but may make big record labels obsolete. If you sign an exclusive with Apple you will receive, “A hefty advance, a dedicated marketing spend, premium placement atop the iTunes store, maybe a TV commercial and a Beats Radio show in addition to the less immediately tangible bonuses like additional paid media connected to the release, global exposure and barters that might incorporate social media campaigns” (Halperin). With all of these incentives included in the album exclusives this will make large record companies extinct and the new version of record labels will be exclusives via streaming services. Artists may even be able to cut out the middle man of making these deals through a label to just making these exclusive contracts with services through their managers. At some point I see artists managing themselves one day as in person communication may become no longer.
Works Cited
Halperin, Shirley. "From Beyonce to Frank Ocean, Breaking Down the Mechanics, and Politics, Behind Streaming Exclusives." Billboard. 25 Aug. 2016. Web. 28 Mar. 2017.
Rys, Dan. "Chance the Rapper's Chart Debut Is the Latest Streaming Milestone in a Year Full of Them." Billboard. 23 May 2016. Web. 28 Mar. 2017.
Rys, Dan. "It Was the Year of the Album Exclusive... and the Year They Faded Away." Billboard. 22 Dec. 2016. Web. 28 Mar. 2017.
Huge artists like Kanye West, Drake, Arian Grande, and Rihanna have all followed the trend of initially distributing their content exclusively with one streaming service. Many record labels are against this exclusivity but even if they don’t approve their artists are still finding ways to get around it. For example, Frank Ocean payed his way out of his contract with Def Jam for over $2 million and released his own album, Blond, exclusively to iTunes. While the exclusive deals don’t help the record labels they can really help well known artist. In a Billboard article Halperin explains, “For some artists and managers, however, taking advantage of the streaming companies’ high-stakes, high-spending battle for market share offers a portal into direct deals with retailers that could make an affiliation with labels look redundant.” Many labels are disagreeing with the benefits of exclusives and believe that when the artist distant themselves from their labels and goes exclusive they are missing out on bigger opportunities. However, the artists are really enjoying taking control of their careers and producing content that is more their style. The problem with being attached to the labels is they have a say in the type of music that’s created and this may not match with the artist’s wants.
ReplyDeleteReleasing content via streaming-only is now backed up by the Recording Academy. This allowed artists like Chance the Rapper to receive nominations and ultimately win Grammys this year (Rys). This is going to influence more artist to start releasing content this way because ultimately this is where the entertainment industry is going. While it may not be in the best interest of many for now it’s a great way to showcase and promote extremely talented artists. Chance the Rapper didn’t need a record label and instead created a team of people whom he trusted to help create and promote his music. His album has so far been the only album to hit Billboard 200 chart based on streaming metrics alone, with no sales (Rys). He did everything without a label and controlled the whole process. This is a dream to most artists. Having total freedom. I think without labels and other forms of distribution many jobs will be taken away, however, the industry seems to be heading in that direction. Ultimately, with no record label backing an artist they would need to have immense talent in order to succeed. So far Chance has been the only artist to really succeed in this field but, there will definitely be more in the future because of the freedom it brings.
Rys, Dan. "Chance the Rapper's Chart Debut Is the Latest Streaming Milestone in a Year Full of Them." Billboard. N.p., 23 May 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
DeleteRys, Dan. "Recording Academy Embraces Streaming with Changes to Grammy Rules." Billboard. N.p., 16 June 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
Halperin, Shirley. "From Beyonce to Frank Ocean, Breaking Down the Mechanics, and Politics, Behind Streaming Exclusives." Billboard. N.p., 25 Aug. 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
Danial Donnelly
ReplyDeleteThe music industry has gone through many changes in the past decade, and those changes are affecting the way we listen to new music today. Music used to be centered around album sales and radio play, but with the various ways for consumers to get music, the industry has had to adjust its ways. Streaming services have not only given the consumer an easier and more efficient way to get their music, but they have also allowed the artist to have more control over the music they produce, and how they make their music public. More and more artists are appearing on the scene because of some of these streaming services, and more people are turning to these services instead of the traditional way to get music. Spotify and Apple Music are services that you can use for free, or pay a subscription for, and allow you to essentially download any song or album you could ask for. Beyond that, SoundClound is another service that anybody can use to release their music freely and have people listen and favorite or create playlists with whatever song is released. Artists such as Chance the Rapper and Lil’ Uzi Vert have utilized this new phenomenon and have boosted their careers dramatically through these services.
Chance the Rapper is this year’s Grammy Award Winner for best new artist, best rap album, best rap performance, and was a nominee for various other awards. Chance is one of the world’s most popular music artists right now, and he shows no signs of slowing down. What helps make Chance strand out is that he is not signed to any major label or studio. His first two mixtapes were available for free download online, and both of them were extremely successful and have helped him gain popularity going into his third mixtape. His third mixtape, Coloring Book, was released through Apple Music for a 2-week stream, and that mixtape became the first streaming only album to chart the Billboard 200 and received 338 million streams. Chance’s great success shows how major labels may not be a necessity in today’s music industry. Independent artists are becoming more powerful and significant through these streaming services because it gives artists a chance to gain popularity without being tied down to a label.
Another benefit artists enjoy from new streaming services is being a part of a playlist. Spotify and Apple Music have playlists with certain genres of music that anybody with subscriptions can listen to. People can also download songs off these playlists and add it to their own library or playlist if they choose to. For example, Rap Caviar is one of Spotify’s most popular playlists and the playlist gets updated with new rap music every week or so. If an artist gets one of their songs on the playlist, more people become aware of the artist and that song and ultimately gain popularity. It is another way for the artist to get noticed in a world where there is so much competition in each music industry. It also gives artists the freedom to release music as they want, instead of putting together an entire album to release at once. Now that artists are getting paid for these downloads and streams, I expect the focus of music to continue to move into this direction, and away from CD sales and radio play.
DeleteWorks Cited
Austen, Ben. "The New Pioneers: Chance the Rapper Is One of the Hottest Acts in Music, Has a Top 10 Album and His Own Festival -- All Without a Label or Physical Release." Billboard. Billboard, n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
Ihaza, Jeff. "The Playlist Is the New Album." The Outline. The Outline, 13 Mar. 2017. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
Rys, Dan. "Chance the Rapper's Chart Debut Is the Latest Streaming Milestone in a Year Full of Them." Billboard. Billboard, n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
The music industry has undergone many changes in the last decade. Due to the Internet, we have seen an influx of new ways to listen to music, as well as many new ways for artist’s to promote and distribute their music. Huge stars like Beyonce and Kanye West have strayed from the norms of the music industry and began to release their albums as streaming exclusives (Halperin). This gives them the flexibility to release their work at their desire and to a unique group of streaming-subscribers. This new industry trend is a way to combat piracy and Internet file sharing. However, it also creates a difficulty for fans trying to listen to the music. Kanye Weset and Beyonce released their albums on Tidal, an audio streaming service that requires a monthly subscription in order to receive exclusive content. Apple, for example, signed a deal with Drake to release his momentous album Views as an Apple Music exclusive. These exclusivity deals have their pros and cons because subscribers of the service are thrilled at the opportunity to receive popular content exclusively, yet the rest of the music audience have to deal with waiting for the album to become available on all other platforms. It is interesting to see the surge in streaming subscriptions over the past few years, but it is important to observe the radical changes they have caused to the music industry.
ReplyDeleteAnother big change in the music industry has been the rise in independent music artists. More and more artists have been taking the independent route because they are recognizing that support from a major label is not necessary to make it in the music industry. Many independent artists have been releasing albums for free because they care more about the music than the money. Today’s most popular example of this is Chance the Rapper. Chance has been on the rise for the past few years and much of his success has been credited to his decision to remain an independent artist. Today’s artists are quickly catching on that they can thrive as independent artists. They are aware of the many tools at their disposal that they can use to promote and distribute their music. These artists value their freedom to create more than some cash bonuses. Chance is a great example of this because he released his debut album, Coloring Book, as a streaming exclusive, and it became the first album to reach the top billboard 200 (Rys). It also went on to win multiple Grammys, a first time scenario for a streaming exclusive. Artists like Chance are paving the way for other independent artists and showing them that the backing by a music label is not necessary to make it in the industry.
DeleteWorks Cited
Rys, Dan. "Chance the Rapper's Chart Debut Is the Latest Streaming Milestone in a Year Full of Them." Billboard. N.p., 23 May 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
Halperin, Shirley. "From Beyonce to Frank Ocean, Breaking Down the Mechanics, and Politics, Behind Streaming Exclusives." Billboard. N.p., 25 Aug. 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
Angie King
ReplyDeleteArtists have more control now than ever because of evolving technologies. Amateur artists can post their content to YouTube, SoundCloud and a slew of other sites to get their music out there. But the Internet and streaming services aren’t just benefitting amateurs; they’re helping established artists too. Now that there is a variety of ways to release content, between physical sales, downloads and streaming, they have some leverage over streaming companies. The biggest change that artists have seen is exclusivity. Many artists have chosen to release their content exclusively over one platform, instead of releasing it to all possible outlets. Although exclusive releases might not be best for the music industry in general, it gives artists a sense of more control over their content. 2016 was the year for exclusive releases as “Drake’s record-smashing, two-week Apple Music exclusive Views reigned atop the Billboard 200 (it would spend six months in the top five of the chart, and 10 weeks at No. 1), five of the 13 albums released in 2016 to hit the top of the chart had debuted exclusively through one of two streaming services: Views and Future’s Evol on Apple Music; Rihanna’s Anti, Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo and Beyoncé’s Lemonade on Tidal” (Rys “It Was the Year of the Album Exclusive”). Artists have the agency to be exclusive or inclusive with their content because of their relationships and deals with different streaming services. However, notice that Spotify does not partake in the exclusive deal game, for the better of the music industry. The Global Head of Creator Services for Spotify, Troy Carter, commented that “exclusives are bad for artists, bad for consumer and bad for the whole industry…As a manager, I would want my artists’ music to be everywhere. When you carve it out to one service, you miss out on fans” (Rys “It Was the Year of the Album Exclusive”). Spotify has been strictly anti-exclusive, and will most likely stay that way for the coming years. Regardless if it’s bad for the industry or not, exclusivity does give artists some control and input over their content.
Another way that artists are changing the music industry is portrayed best by Chance the Rapper. Chance the Rapper is single-handedly disproving the long held notion that all artists need to be backed by major record labels in order to succeed. His release of Coloring Book debuted May 13th 2016 “as a streaming-only exclusive on Apple Music without a retail or download option… Coloring Book holds the title as the first ever release to appear on the Billboard 200 chart with 100 percent of its equivalent album units coming from streaming, as its 57.3 million streams account for 38,000 equivalent album units” (Rys “Chance the Rapper”). However, his latest album drop wasn’t the first time he made waves in the music industry. Once he dropped his album Acid Rap in 2013, he and his manager knew that he wouldn’t partake in the typical artist experience. His manager, Pat Corcoran, commented, “we discovered going with a label wasn’t for us” (Austen). Instead, Chance made his career off of tours, merchandise, meet-and-greets and deals with Apple and other companies. Chance noted, “It’s not about the music being free. It’s about how it is displayed and made accessible and about artistic power. It was always about the artist-to-fan relationship” (Austen). Chance has proven that there could be a different way that the music industry works. After he set this precedence, there’s bound to be more artists who follow suit.
DeleteWorks Cited
Austen, Ben. "The New Pioneers: Chance the Rapper Is One of the Hottest Acts in Music, Has a Top 10 Album and His Own Festival -- All Without a Label or Physical Release." Billboard. N.p., 11 Aug. 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
Rys, Dan. “It Was the Year of the Album Exclusive…and the Year They Faded Away.” Billboard. 22 December 2016. Web. 27 March 2017.
Rys, Dan. "Chance the Rapper's Chart Debut Is the Latest Streaming Milestone in a Year Full of Them."Billboard. N.p., 23 May 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
In the more recent years, the trends of television and the trends of music seem to have mirrored each other. The traditional way that people received their content was changing, and both industries are delivering more over the top (OTT) services to give people the content they want.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to the artist stake in music, and the changes they have involved, two artists come to mind: Taylor Swift and Chance the Rapper. These people publically voiced the way they wanted their music enjoyed, and wanted to give the artists a bigger voice in the industry- rather than allowing producers and managers to make sole decisions. In 2014, when Taylor Swift pulled her music from Spotify, she called it a “grand experiment that [she felt didn’t] fairly compensate the writers, producers, artists, and creator, and [she was not] willing to contribute [her] life’s work to.” (Ahmed) Chance the Rapper was another vocal artist who was adamant about the art staying true, and music being available to as many people as possible. This resulted in his releasing his most recent album ‘Coloring Book’ on Apple Music with a “stream only” option. (Rys) However, I use the word “album” loosely; as this is what a major release of music tracks by artists have been called. Chance is also a notable artist in that he is one that has been vocal about refusing to sign to a record label. Remarkably, he hasn’t needed one. He has been on tour with Childish Gambino, Mac Miller, Kanye West, and others. (Austen) Although “it’s not about the music being free,” he has been consistent with providing it on streaming services and soundcloud-, which can be accessed freely.
However, more recently, albums are being traded out for playlists. Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Frank Ocean are some of the more prominent people who have done this more recently, but they are not alone.
Singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens says it best when he asks: “why do people make albums anymore when we just download?” (Ihaza) It is a fact that album and physical sales are declining, and downloads and streaming are increasing- in fact, the latter two now make up the majority of the music industry’s revenue. (Ihaza) Because of this, we see artists going beyond the basic title. This trend will only continue to increase- where artists will hold more than one title (i.e. singer, writer, actor, playwright, dancer, etc.) to remain relevant. Beyoncé did this in her feature album film ‘Lemonade,’ Frank Ocean did it in his playlist and radio show on Beats 1, and many other artist will follow in suit. Artists are taking over how they can release music- and in case like Swift, having more say in what they make off their music. The creation of Tidal by Jay Z was another example of artists wanting to put the mic back in the hand of the creators. It saw exclusive releases from major artists like Rihanna, Kanye West, and Beyoncé. These are some of the ways they artists are taking over their careers and brands now. Now, Apple and Tidal have “exclusive playlists, live streams, music videos, radio interviews, single releases, and original video content.” (Rys, It Was the Year of the Album Exclusive - and the Year They Faded Away)
Artists are digging deeper into their creativity to make themselves a *brand* rather than just a standalone. People like Chance the Rapper prove that it can be done without a major label backing them, however, that model might not be self-sustaining if the individual does not have the money and major followings at first.
Works Cited
DeleteAhmed, Tufayel. "TAYLOR SWIFT'S MUSIC MAY BE RETURNING TO SPOTIFY." 30 November 2016. Newsweek. Web. March 2017.
Austen, Ben. "The New Pioneers – Chance the Rapper Is One of the Hottest Acts in Music, Has a Top 10 Album and His Own Festival -- All Without a Label or Physical Release." 11 August 2016. Billboard. Web. March 2017.
Ihaza, Jeff. "The Playlist is the New Album." 14 March 2017. The Outline. Web. March 2017.
Rys, Dan. "Chance the Rapper's Chart Debut Is the Latest Streaming Milestone in a Year Full of Them." 23 May 2016. Billboard. Web. March 2017.
Rys, Dan. "It Was the Year of the Album Exclusive - and the Year They Faded Away." 22 December 2016. Billboard. Web. March 2017.
ReplyDeleteIt’s no surprise that music artists have had trouble in making a profit off of the music they create. With past issues of LimeWire, the rip-off of record companies, and streaming services that are offered today, artists have had to change the ways in which they generate revenue with their music content.
One person who has made history and has proven that artists no longer need the backing of a major record label company is Chance the Rapper. Chance has found a different way to make a profit for his content without the representation of a label, and as a Grammy-award winner, it is clear that his way works. In Billboard’s article, “The New Pioneers,” Ben Austen explains how Chance has paved his own path of success. “Chance has earned money not from 99-cent downloads but from tours, merchandise, meet-and-greets and his deals with Apple and other companies” (Austen). Chance has recognized that people will support authentic artists that create good music, and that is exactly what he does. Chance has his career in his own hands and is not going to sell his soul to a record label company.
With the possible loss of revenue from illegal downloading of music, I think many artists have realized that the one way to create a bigger profit for themselves is to increase the price of concert tickets. In the past, concert tickets were more affordable for fans to buy than they are now. I have heard the insanely high prices tickets sell for Beyoncé and I wonder if I will ever be able to see her in concert.
In Randy Lewis’s article in the Los Angeles Times, it explains the high amount of profit artists made within the year of 2016. “Bongiovanni noted that Beyoncé took top honors for the highest-grossing North American tour of 2016, but the figure for that portion of her world tour was not released.” But high concert tickets are not the only way that artists are making a profit. Artists such as Beyoncé, Rihanna and Drake have released their music on exclusive streaming services such as Tidal.
In an article from Music Business Worldwide, Jacob Whitesides explains the importance of touring. “A lot of artists don’t need deals; if they can establish a solid touring foundation, they can make money and pay their bills” (Ingham). I think that artists are recognizing that they no longer need a record label company in order to reach success. Record label companies have given the music industry a bad name, as it has been proven that artists are not making the money that they should be. For example, popular artists such as TLC and New Edition have created popular music and have had successful albums, but they have been taken advantage of with record label companies. I think that with the current situation of artists such as Chance the Rapper and the continuous changes in technology, there may be a time in the future when record label companies are no longer needed.
DeleteWorks Cited
Austen, Ben. "The New Pioneers: Chance the Rapper Is One of the Hottest Acts in Music, Has a Top 10 Album and His Own Festival -- All Without a Label or Physical Release." Billboard. 11 Aug. 2016. Web.
Ingham, Tim. “So... Do Knew Artists Really Need to Sign a Record Label?” Music Business Worldwide. 19 Jul. 2016. Web.
Lewis, Randy. “Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce Post Top-Grossing Tours of 2016.” Los Angeles Times. 28 Dec. 2016. Web.
In recent years many artists have changed the way they produce and distribute their music. Beyoncé refused to allow her music on any streaming services as to keep her music and the way it was distributed in the past alive so as not to fall into the norms of society. Many artists have kept their music off streaming services as to not discredit the integrity of the music itself. The music industry has been changing drastically over the last few years. According to Dan Rys, “Nielsen Music announced in its annual report that the total number of streams nearly doubled in the U.S. in 2015, going from 164.5 billion songs streamed in 2014 to 317.2 billion in 2015, an increase of 93 percent. That added 101.8 million equivalent album sales in the period year-over-year, rising to 211.5 million and spurring a 15.2 percent gain in consumption units to 549.4 million” (Rys). With streaming doubling in the last year the industry needs a new avenue of releasing new music to the public Something that will keep up with the ever changing digital age. To keep up with the 24-hour news cycle and non-stop digital media, the next release idea to come into play is exclusives through these streaming networks. According to Dan Rys, “By June it seemed set in stone -- 2016 would be remembered as the year of the exclusive album release. As Drake's record-smashing, two-week Apple Music exclusive Views reigned atop the Billboard 200 (it would spend six months in the top five of the chart, and 10 weeks at No. 1), five of the 13 albums released in 2016 to hit the top of the chart had debuted exclusively through one of two streaming services: Views and Future's Evol on Apple Music; Rihanna's Anti, Kanye West's The Life of Pablo and Beyoncé's Lemonade on Tidal” (Rys). Exclusives have been the way to go for music releases over the last year and I don’t see that changing any time soon. If anything music will become more digital and there will be less albums sitting on shelves in stores and less digital albums to buy when you have streaming services. Artists now have many streaming services to choose from and they have major rollout plans but may make big record labels obsolete. If you sign an exclusive with Apple you will receive, “A hefty advance, a dedicated marketing spend, premium placement atop the iTunes store, maybe a TV commercial and a Beats Radio show in addition to the less immediately tangible bonuses like additional paid media connected to the release, global exposure and barters that might incorporate social media campaigns” (Halperin). With all of these incentives included in the album exclusives this will make large record companies extinct and the new version of record labels will be exclusives via streaming services. Artists may even be able to cut out the middle man of making these deals through a label to just making these exclusive contracts with services through their managers. At some point I see artists managing themselves one day as in person communication may become no longer.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited
Halperin, Shirley. "From Beyonce to Frank Ocean, Breaking Down the Mechanics, and Politics, Behind Streaming Exclusives." Billboard. 25 Aug. 2016. Web. 28 Mar. 2017.
Rys, Dan. "Chance the Rapper's Chart Debut Is the Latest Streaming Milestone in a Year Full of Them." Billboard. 23 May 2016. Web. 28 Mar. 2017.
Rys, Dan. "It Was the Year of the Album Exclusive... and the Year They Faded Away." Billboard. 22 Dec. 2016. Web. 28 Mar. 2017.