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Patrick Nimon
Mrs. Devlin
English 111
1/12/16
The Media and Unfairness in the Music Industry
Fame is something most desire, but few will grasp. The gateway to
fame can be through several different avenues, music, movies, television, or
lineage. Music fame has been receiving lots of attention recently, as
ridiculous artists and industry moguls are trying to push the boundaries of
what we will accept as a society to sell albums. In a reality that the amount
of money an artist makes, be it struggling to find food to living in one of their
ten lavish mansions, directly correlates to how popular they are. The more
popular you are, the more records you sell, and the larger venues you can
play and have sold out. This means more cash flow in your pocket (Brabec).
If no one knows who you are, to put it simply, you will not be a successful
artist. To no surprise, most industry beginners who have realized this fact
have turned to becoming outlandish icons fixated on drawing the attention of
the public. More attention equals more money (Brabec), and there is no
shortage of ways to gain attention. Dawning ridiculous costumes, singing
about funny and random things, having a slaphappy personality, and being
an all-around weird person are just a few ways artists are gaining attention
(Sloan). Popularity is not important to all artists, though. There are still a
select few musicians who believe in gaining popularity by making sound,

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thorough, and thoughtful music. These artists who do not promote

themselves as highly as others typically do not make as much money
(Brabec).
All this being said, the hunt for popularity has absolutely changed the
music of today. In the age of social media, the internet, and the generation
of millennials, the music industry has found its way to succeed, and thrive.
In todays world, the most popular genre is pop. Pop music is similar to
rock, but less heavy, with driving rhythmic elements, and a more flushed out
melody. Pop music has been around for generations, and is called pop
because most people can enjoy it, and it is usually what is most popular at
the time (Sloan). Other relatively popular genres of current music are
country, metal, rock, hip hop, and R & B. Although these genres garner lots
of support and some large followings, the monetary gains for artists in these
genres pail in comparison to pop artists (Reisinger). Music streaming
services pay the same menial amount of gains to artists in all genres, but
with a larger stream coming from pop artists, they make more net money in
the long term.

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Works Cited
Brabec, Jeff and Todd. Music, Money, and Success N.p.: Shirmir Trade, n.d.
Print.

Reisinger, Don. "Why Does the Music Industry Seem to Hate Fairness."
Slashgear . N.p., 15

Nov. 2012. Web. 8 Jan. 2016.

Sloan, Jordan Taylor. "Scientists Prove That Pop Music Is Literally Ruining Our
Brains." Music

Mic N.p. 10 Sept. 2014. Web. 8 Jan. 2016.