There will not be back and forth discussion about music data, streaming, sales, and fanbases because these numbers are altered. With data farms downloading, chatting, and manipulating social media algorithms to help a celebrity appear more popular than the music produced, there won’t be discussion on who’s a flop or success due to corporate media not be a true reflection of artist success.
Read – https://www.wired.com/story/streaming-bots-spotify/
When online discussion about who is outselling is the only narrative but, not the best part of a song, the conversation about what quality music looks like, is no longer in a fair and leveled review. Fanbase’s have now become hate groups and its soured the ability for new artists to organically flourish in the way artist grew and learned 20+ years ago. The music industry especially for R&B and Hip Hop is monopolized when discussing numbers, and the chitlin circuit culture is back allowing the listener to seek out music without being forced to explain who is good. Short of hoping a new or non-commercially approved artist kills themselves, its unclear what these fanbases want when their favorite artist don’t succeed in the same scope or a “rival”. They want to bully their way to greatness that is not what art is about.
What will be discussed is when a song in a commercial improves sales. When an artist consistently pours in projects beyond record promotion that extending into growth and investment. A successful artist makes a whole album that is uploaded, pressed and completed. Whether everyone likes the music is additional commodity. So no album is ever a flop, especially when songs now reemerge via commercial campaigns and tiktok challenges with lucrative outcomes.
To be a public figure, going against corporate entity situations that have bots and fanbases farming negative information to counter any rival artists. Its scary especially for younger artists. To all new artists, hang in there. The industry will change if enough artists together show negativity shouldn’t fuel the creative process. Those who took over, will be forced to let the younger generation grow and collaborate without duress. The artists that were burned, stick around, the younger generation really loves your music, don’t give up.