What is with the music industry?

I was recently in a conversation with one of my roommates regarding the current music industry. We both agreed that we are not excited or interested in any of the new music being released. “No one releases an album anymore,” my roommate said, “everything is just a single.” I began pondering this thought; she was right. An artist rarely releases an album, and if they do, it is most likely Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran, established artists.

I broke this theory down for three reasons.

1. Music is very accessible these days.

With streaming apps such as Spotify, Sound Cloud, and YouTube, putting out music has become very easy. An artist does not need to be signed to a record label to put our music anymore. Whereas this accessibility could be seen as a positive thing, it also creates many more “one-hit wonders.” For example, look at the rapper Lil Nas X, he released the single titled “old town road,” and then he remixed it four times after it gained popularity. He added different artists such as Billy Ray Cyrus and continued to ride the “old town road” wave for as long as possible. While some may see this as a success, I consider Lil Nas X as a one-hit-wonder. He is known for these remixes, and since the initial release in 2019, no one has heard much from him musically.

1. Musicians want the money and instant gratification from the single.

Living in the age of the internet and social media, our generation has become accustomed to instant gratification. Musicians are now able to release a song via a streaming service and have the instant gratification of whether it is a success or not. These musicians can also reap the full benefits of this success because a record company does not sign them. This immediate success becomes addicting. It is challenging for musicians to continue without any record company management, but this need for instant gratification can often lead to one-hit wonders.

1. Musicians do not want to work that hard.

“Who is the next Beyonce?” my roommate asks. I could not answer this question. Beyonce gained her mega-success through hard work. With the need for instant gratification and immediate success, many musicians will not amount to the Beyonce level of success.

We are no longer in the era of record labels. Upcoming musicians are not following in the footsteps of legends such as Beyonce, Alicia Keys, and Taylor Swift. With the adaptation of streaming services, anyone can become an artist. I mean, look at Dixie D’amelio. Ms, D’amelio is an 18-year-old social media Tik Tok star who rose on the back of her younger sister Charlie. While some may argue that Dixie can sing, she has only ever released two singles with no real content to the lyrics. Young influencers are bridging into different markets such as music or acting with no natural talent, but due to their likeability. In this social media age, real talent and hard work are tough to find.