Explaining Why the Music Industry is DYING | Music Isn't Selling

[@FUJIN-UCHIHA]

Bcuz y’all treating the shyt like a popularity contest instead of promoting. Actual talent

[@thalmoragent9344]

@FUJIN-UCHIHA true Sure it's fine to have a favorite artist but sometimes you should be able to look at others and enjoy/promote that particular musical talent as well.

[@rishyrish]

Facts they don’t NO JUMPER CHOSE TO BLACKLIST ME cause they didn’t want to give interview if they was gonna have everyone pay to perform lol I offered to pay for the artist and they canned it and never pushed anyone but took the money

[@RaySmith79]

But the work people are putting out from your so-called art. Is not what the majority want. You can't force someone to like something they don't like. And that is the problem with the industry. Album sales say Hip hop is dying because of the artist within this last year. Top selling album release in 2023.

[@asheqmusic]

That's a weird statement, as popularity is needed for the artist to succeed to a degree. Moreover there lack in the conversion from popularity to income. That is solely on the artist. And if every artist could do this why would they need to depend on anyone else promoting them?

[@FUJIN-UCHIHA]

@@asheqmusic @RaySmith79 People these days just gobble up whatever the industry pushes or watever random song trends in tiktok Hip hop isn’t really dying it’s just switching over from the bs to real artists. This is why Tyler’s album did so well. Alt black music is taking over hip hop. It’s basically replacing the current which is some mere mixture of drill or trap or wtv. Either way. That sound is dying out So we should rejoice we’re finally getting back to real music

[@-Always_Right-]

For one reason or another, they just aren't making shit like 10-15 years ago. Drake and Kendrick put more work building those damn diss tracks than most artists do for their entire albums. Should be the other way around

[@thalmoragent9344]

Well, you gotta put in effort into Diss Tracks for them to land regardless

[@notreallyafamousartist695]

How much money do Drake and Kendrick have. How much money can Drake and Kendrick get from investors. How many resources to Drake and Kendrick have. Most people are not Drake and Kendrick, good luck getting most people to even be ABLE to get the help to do that

[@chiquita683]

Only person making albums anymore is Kodak Black

[@booweeayexcellence9285]

This is the best response comment of the year. Agreed

[@ReckWayne]

@@thalmoragent9344I feel like rappers are just lazy now..

[@eazye1083]

Something we don’t talk about enough is how the club scene died. Not only did some artists make music specifically for the club but consumers looked forward to hearing that record in a party atmosphere. The club/lounge scene whatever you want to call it is dead today. These parties extended the life of songs.

[@TBurr030]

I keep saying it, social media ruined music. It’s all content creation. & the fact that “regional music” no longer exist, there’s no variety. Ppl in one area of the world trynna sound like someone from another.. trash

[@mssha1980]

Yep regional sounds are dead sadly

[@ohRosco]

Screw is still living.

[@Nita-kf3gh]

Wow so true well said!

[@ptyten9718]

Hip hop has legitimately never been more diverse, that diversity is just not at the forefront anymore. The mainstream is mostly wack.

[@Txcrossdabelly]

Super facts

[@ulysses2592]

Because people are putting out garbage that no one wants to pay for. And you have conditioned the audience to expect free streaming.

[@purrfitazitgetz3365]

How old are you? I’m asking cause JB crowd is older and quick to call music by 20 year olds trash just because they can’t relate to it 🤦🏾‍♂️ and da YG ain’t complaining about music is always da older demographic

[@dawb86]

@purrfitazitgetz3365 Fam. They JUST explained it. The newer artists don’t even ATTEMPT to make good albums now. I don’t blame a lot of them, they don’t know how because it’s not expected anymore. The mixtape/playlist approach isn’t the same as the album approach. A mixtape is the project equivalent of a freestyle. I got a whole bunch of tracks with no connecting subjects, themes, etc. and I’m not really talking about nothing. Cole and Kendrick still do that so they still sell and are critically praised.

[@purrfitazitgetz3365]

@@dawb86 ok and my comeback again is the “Youth” doesn’t care because dat formula now is dated to them and also this podcast everyone is over the age of 40 so it’s a lot of biased opinions about the younger artist who music again isn’t for the 40 age demographic because youth culture is consumed with social media and right now

[@purrfitazitgetz3365]

@@dawb86 example j Cole is ranked 108 in da world in steaming but gunna is 98th future is # 40 and 21 savage is #58 so this podcast also lies about j Cole being the “ biggest” when he’s obviously NOT based off Spotify which is the #1 music streaming app and gives artist rankings

[@purrfitazitgetz3365]

@@dawb86 maybe the music JUST isn’t for you is what I’m saying and people complaining about free music irks my nerves because just find an artist that suits ur style? Why complain about music u don’t have to listen to ? Nobody forcing anyone to listen to anything and music been in the hands of the consumers for over a decade BUT What people whining about is other people aren’t listening to what I want them to listen to

[@mogul7489]

It’s boils down to music quality. Labels aren’t investing as much time and effort in developing artists and it shows in the music quality

[@asheqmusic]

It's deeper than that, there is good music out there that labels over look in most cases because the artist hasn't built their careers enough for an even deal or they don't see enough value to spend money and own everything they have. If it was about quality many of the successful artists wouldn't exist in the industry today. Lot of contradictions in these comments.

[@ByTISZY]

“You are not a rapper/singer, you are a content creator” Every industry has technical specialists who get pay top premium for their skill yet, Real “Human made” music takes hours upon hours to make and, the Music industry has us artist at the bottom of food chain. The majority of musicians dislike this medium (the internet), yet according to our society, it is now the only way to “consume” and “promote” music. The real question is Why? Why not revolt against this system? The answer is that You can’t. You can’t even put down your phone.

[@Thewstend]

🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯

[@mikenice215]

You said it perfectly well as an artist. Sometimes we gotta create content around our music in order for people to listen to it. Now it’s like we literally have to be both or you will die out with nothing but ideas

[@ninasky1322]

That hit deep 😮

[@edwarde7009]

So how do you adapt to that then? Life keeps going evolve with it

[@noname-qb7ir]

Physical sales are gone. Just diversify and accept it. Make good music, sell merch, do shows, do PA'S,

[@Jbizzy47]

There no build up to the projects , no development of the artists public persona and the internet is used to tear artist down . Our superheroes have become too accessible .

[@purrfitazitgetz3365]

@@Jbizzy47 u nailed it and I agree wid you how u have randoms on KZbin wid large platforms dat can tear artist down and make narratives about dem

[@vaporfogg3437]

​@purrfitazitgetz3365facts. There hurting industry

[@notreallyafamousartist695]

Nobody cares about a build up, you dopamine friends to busy scrolling so they stopped because you WONT STOP SCROLLING

[@asheqmusic]

A build up for projects isn't really necessary if you know how to market the music effectively, maybe artists should take more initiative in cultivating there own image (or learning how to), and the internet tears damn near everyone down. The music just needs to be good and marketed effectively.

[@o̸ණ]

I think because of the over-accessibility/over-exposure, these artists have nw become more of "personalities" than recording artists so the former tends to overshadow the latter

[@MarquisTidwell]

People don't buy music. Unless you're a super fan or music head, you're streaming or hitting KZbin. Music is a devalued commodity which is why even the most successful artists are all diversified in other avenues. Outside of live performances, its more of the tool to other arenas. The streaming splits need to change or thats it for music sales in my opinion. Realistically for what you get Spotify and Apple music should cost more and it's worth the value.

[@AntDevon]

Exactly 🎯

[@Rome-w1x]

Correction… Rap Music

[@michellepreston9799]

More ohh hell no. Everything cost too much. The more they charge now the more it will cost later.

[@QuanequaTSmith]

Exactly, the wise ones have diversified their streams of income

[@jmass3738]

Lol they on a Podcast asking why people aren't giving as much of their time, effort, and attention to music. IT'S THIS!!! All the new forms of content. I rarely put on music when I hop in the car. I put podcast on. There are so many more types of ways to spend your time these days that didn't exist when I was a kid. All the different streaming services, gaming, is on a crazy level as far as quality. They release whole seasons of shows in an instant. All the different social media platforms are spending millions to capture our attention. It is a new landscape, and musicians are going to have to adjust to it

[@vusancube]

I was gonna say this as well. Would sometimes rather listen to a podcast on jog/walk than music playlist. And listen to talk radio in the car. I think though if music had concepts and the variety and social commentary of the podcasts. People would listen to music a lot more

[@SmooDeeAhh]

If the music was good padcast would take the back seat. Music is trash period. The consumer has the attention span of a gnat. The labels are pushing anyone speaking destruction and negativity. The kids are selling out because they’re trying to eat.

[@purrfitazitgetz3365]

@@jmass3738 thiss cause u nailed it cause we didn’t have all dese different forms of entertainment

[@LooksGoodTooMe]

Well said 🎯🎯🎯

[@mssha1980]

Talk radio has always been a thing for adults

[@IvTHstreet]

Its simple yall keep promoting boring industry rappers.

[@mikenice215]

Wake it up. Nobody wanna hear “He don’t want the baby then don’t keep it” evertime we turn the car on💀

[@nathanjarrelle]

This in a nutshell

[@dtippitt2]

Facts 😂

[@grassblast420]

that part

[@eski_truv]

It don’t matter who’s promoting who, real talent will always garner organic attention. The REAL problem is the mainstream artists have gotten lazy and don’t make music as half as good as their earlier projects, which makes rap as a whole take a hit.

[@northwestkidmarc]

I feel like most of the big artists ain't as big as they use to be and people aren't really into the music as much anymore its crazy 😮‍💨

[@FreePlayMode]

It's as it was said. The way music is made and consumed is different now. Before, in order to get music out there was literally only three avenues to do it in terms of getting rap/hip-hop out. You either needed money to self publish and "sell it out of the back of your trunk", you had some connections to get on a MAJOR DJ's mixtape (Clue, Premiere, Mister Cee, Red Alert, etc...), or you were signed to a record label and had some motion. All of these avenues were gatekept by the fact that you needed some money to buy studio time and hire an engineer/studio technician. Now, you only need a laptop with FL Studio, Pro Tools, or Fruity Loops, a decent quality condenser mic w/pop filter, and an email address. It's so easy to put out music now because you can upload it directly to soundcloud, or youtube. You as an artist can choose to deal with the DSP's directly and upload your music to Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Music, etc... By not needing to go through a record label to get music out, a lot of the things that gatekept a lot of people out, are no longer barriers. So now, things that are missing is quality control, artist development, and cohesiveness when it comes to putting out a project. Music is still being sold, it's just that people aren't rushing out to buy it like they were from a traditional means because there's also so many ways to consume music that doesn't involve you having to BUY music.

[@TERRELLTURNER1999]

Simple: modern music industry is just a numbers game. Short catchy tracks that drive up streams quickly 🤷‍♂️ If an artist comes out with a style that brings in revenue fast then the label with either blatantly or subtly mold the signed artists to follow suit

[@hennyknows]

thats how its always been

[@ericmclean4291]

Facts. And it's feast or famine with these labels. Either you blow up and be a superstar or you're a liability.

[@djalleyboygriffin4448]

@@hennyknows Yeah sort of but not really back in the day when Artist dropped an album the whole year the would shortly drop videos for it. Nowadays it's just something to trend on silly IG Shorts or Tik-Tok dances. Rappers with Bars can't shine nowadays but Rappers like Future,Soulja Boy and Sexy Redd can.

[@purrfitazitgetz3365]

@@djalleyboygriffin4448 don’t disrespect future cause dude makes good music dat people can relate to and honestly da same wid sexy red , cause her music is relatable and dats whad dese so called spitters don’t understand and BUN B said it best you can be da best rapper in da room BUT also da most un relatable rapper in da room

[@purrfitazitgetz3365]

@@djalleyboygriffin4448 rappers with bars can’t shine cause they can’t make good music 🤦🏾‍♂️ and wen yall bring up bars cause everyone know someone that has good bars but doesn’t mean they can make relatable music

[@tristanpueblo6734]

Too many artists are getting co-signed for being ‘good’ when they don’t write, don’t respect the essence of hip hop, and lack real bars. The time is changing - fake and counterfeit music will get exposed. The standard is coming back: real metaphors, real lyrics, real substance. No more trash music taking up space.

[@RaySmith79]

I think people don't want to be forced music they don't like. I think want woke music sucks, the same way people don't like Disney woke movies. People don't listen to that music. A prime example is Kendrick. Superbowl, killed a goat, dropped an album just the busiest buying season, media promo is big. And all you can do is the same numbers as your last album in the first week. You can't be doing all that and that is all you are doing. To be honest I think we are going into an EMD era.

[@robert33469]

@@RaySmith79 Lol. Kendrick makes woke music and was the biggest artist this year outside of T.Swift

[@DaOldSchoolRapLova96]

I've noticed that this year as well, the demand for real artistry in hip hop again. And yes, I agree, hip hop in general has an essence to it that ppl especially in my generation don't know about. More ppl than I thought do but it's clear throughout social media, my generation (late Millennial - early Gen Z), doesn't know really music as a whole and its apparent with releases and consumption. I of course listen to the "trap side" of hip hop and been so for the past 8-10ish years now but its getting dated imo. I've always gravitated towards older sounding hip hop in general. That's just where my soul resides.

[@Diovolente]

Lack of youth development is the reason, XXL freshman list falling off is so slept on, it’s where a lot of bubbling artists see a huge boost in eyes. That plus the lack of talent in who the labels are choosing to push. Ian for example got smelled out for being inauthentic and a plant. Fans are smarter nowadays and can smell a label pushing someone in they face.

[@djalleyboygriffin4448]

After the 2017 Freshman class I stopped paying attention to it. Most the 2017 and 2018 Class isn't doing anything. Where Is Bloc-Boy JB? Trippie Redd or Smokepurrp? Even Bhadd Bhabbie(Cash Me Outside) Made the list and now she doesn't even Rap anymore.

[@Diovolente]

@ trippie is one of those guys who has his audience and his only trying to reach them at this point, which is honestly the play for longevity nowadays. It’s hard being the unicorn artist who appeals to the mainstream and still have a core audience.

[@purrfitazitgetz3365]

@@Diovolente but Ian never blew up and again yall speaking on KZbin rappers dat outside of KZbin nobody never heard of dem cause Ian ain’t touring or doing shows he just a KZbin rapper

[@MrTiteuf12]

"Fans are smarter nowadays and can smell a label pushing someone in they face" i feel the same with TDE and Doechii using all those Kendrick mimics and visuals.

[@notreallyafamousartist695]

@purrfitazitgetz3365KZbin rappers don’t exist anymore oldhead that was 2016, but yes ian is an internet rapper

[@geraldjordan6419]

Because labels aren't pushing talent they're pushing bullshit repetitive music with lack of substance us people are tired of hearing it

[@purrfitazitgetz3365]

@@geraldjordan6419 dude it’s thousands of artist just find one dat fits ya style it ain’t hard

[@westindian10]

💯

[@geraldjordan6419]

@westindian10 it's over saturated

[@jonathanearls4589]

@purrfitazitgetz3365ur in every comment crying and trying to debate people just accept it ur favorite rappers don’t care, they can’t perform, they can’t rap, they make trash music, & people are tired of it & not buying it as much outside of a few new acts. Ur more mad at consumers than u are the talent for constantly puttin out TRASH!!!!!!!😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@t-god2439]

To me is crazy that someone like ab soul is still in “starving artist mode” despite being heard millions of times. When id say the idea of when you started to make music was to just be heard. So artist are being heard millions upon millions of time yet still not making the money. It’s crazy to me

[@HennyHuncho]

no way he's a "starving artist" he probably is just not generating millions of dollars...his success needs to be looked at in a better perspective....he literally has food shelter probably a nice home and decent cars and enough money to cover any or most emergencies and set for the rest of his life...he probably just wants more ...maybe he wants that 40million dollar home like kendrick just bought instead of the 6-800k home idk i wish he wouldnt be blind to the fact his situation could be like many other artist no money no deal and struggling independently etc

[@t-god2439]

@@HennyHuncho that is probably true. It’s probably does have more to do with the success around him that he feels like he’s starving. Jay rock won a Grammy and has had smash hit/s, Q also has had smash hits, and Kendrick is well you know. And not to mention sza and sir. Still tho streaming sucks and I do wise more people would just buy music or merch.

[@HennyHuncho]

@@t-god2439 yea i agree he probably does feel that way...but sht look at currensy he been an underground king for a minute and seems happy lol if i were absoul i would still be promoting to that underground fanbase with the griseldas the currensys the joeys/ cordaes etc....or dumb it down if he wants that hit

[@t-god2439]

@ smh it’s crazy do better should have been a smash. You got someone like logic who can make a song about a suicide hotline. Which is good but a good but a heartfelt song about just saying you can do better everyday. Can’t be a hit?

[@HennyHuncho]

@@t-god2439 Yea a lot of music blowing up is marketing dollars and a little bit of luck ....a song about suicide by a kid backed by a major label at the right time during a time where suicide awareness was high ...just clicked at the time think about how many HR meetings that song was probably played in especially in professions like policing and military. Also logic kind of has the kid friendly Disney image...it's my dream to be in artist mgmt. idk all the ins and outs but maybe ab could expand his brand by getting into acting or attaching his music to something marketable...it's hard af to just be known for music now a days

[@realkingreco]

Because 1250 paid streams equal 1 album sale! So when an artist does 15k the first week now, it actually means 18,750,000 streams…

[@purrfitazitgetz3365]

@@realkingreco I don’t know dawg everyone trying to figure out how much a stream is but I’m sure we wouldn’t never know cause every artist pro getting paid differently for their streams tho cause a top artist stream can’t be da same as lesser known artist

[@architekrook1527]

These are the conversations that we need to have. Artistry vs. Mass Production

[@TXLennyS]

Yep it's not the music quality it's a lot of us spending hours a day listening to content over music...after a few pods on top of a cue of interviews how much time is possibly left in a day for music

[@oscardagrouch5095]

Doechii performances and music is amazing

[@SonofAGunFrom410]

She's alright but they pushing her too much. She's just alright.

[@oscardagrouch5095]

@ I just saw her on the late show and I never seen a performance like that

[@luiz_fuego]

@@SonofAGunFrom410opened my spotify & saw her face everywhere, smh

[@Irmagerdd]

@@oscardagrouch5095 did u know she choreographed it herself in 4 days??!!? Bro she’s determined to be the next It girl

[@oscardagrouch5095]

@ They had to put in a lot of work for that performance. Did you see Stephen Colbert’s face? It was just original.

[@OGDELTV]

At this point, my playlist is full of tracks from 90s and early 2000s

[@marcusthomas7197]

Hip hop and labels are pushing or signing new artists. That simple; and the people who can give artist love aren’t looking to push upcoming artists

[@douglastaylor8039]

Because they're not about nothing. They're not building anything. They're not a role model.

[@vrnclr1189]

These days I rather listen to audiobooks and podcasts than music. So repetitive

[@Vero_Smittty]

Because labels keep telling us we want to hear bullshit, and we don’t. That’s not how shit works. We the people have the power.

[@tfare2]

When a person like Freddie Gibbs puts an album out and its the album year. You don’t even mention it. To busy focusing on beef

[@mrD66M]

💯. Quality albums are too much work for little reward in the streaming age

[@hiphopheads_]

@@mrD66M💯 And its sad honestly

[@DailyRants89]

Gibbs album is amazing!

[@WeizeBaby]

I rarely listen to mainstream hiphop to me it died along time ago. Underground rap is where it is at

[@antucoblack2652]

This is the best time to be a new artist. The problem is that most of these people don't want to be artist, they want to be rich and famous, which has nothing to do with being an artist. There is still plenty of great music (art in general), its just that most of you are focusing too much on who else loves what you love so that you feel validated about your feelings and taste, which is no different than people calling themselves artist when they just want to be popular.

[@klubmember960]

Honestly music isn't selling especially hip hop because they treated like a hustle and of actually having talent and putting time and creativity into their music the one thing about today that I like is people from anywhere in the world can become famous but back in the day that wasn't the case there were Gatekeepers and that's why the quality of music was different just couldn't some anybody from their basement upload music to the world even though today that can be a cool thing

[@purrfitazitgetz3365]

@@klubmember960 thiss cause I agree wid ya homie on da gatekeeping and @ First I was against it but wen you see artist like da Indian dude stealing project par flow it makes u mad

[@terrelljackson1995]

Plus their no longer regional type of music specially in hip hop and r&b definitely in television shows plus ain’t no real r&b producers like teddy Riley babyface and la Reid Jimmy jam and terry lewis Al b sure and Kyle west Denzil Foster Thomas McElroy Dave hall dj Eddie f Devante swing nobody don’t wanna be a artist or the fanbase doesn’t want real singers mcs or groups

[@1430-LIVE]

This conversation in itself is the problem. The people don’t demand better from artists, the artists are here just to get in the door & the labels want a quick return on investment. And everybody is OK with that? I understand getting the bag but don’t sit there and complain that people don’t want to support & buy the music if all you’re going to do is give them fast food. Yes McDonald’s is successful, but no one eats their food and thinks wow I really love that. They are eating it because it’s convenient fast and cheap. If you want to be fast food, then you’ll be treated like fast food. Simple.

[@Cam-LTowing-qz3cu]

The reason music isn’t selling is because the fans have caught on that it’s a hustle and artist aren’t putting in their real heart and soul into their music. They’re doing it for profit and they’re forced and everything is so sketchy. It’s hard to trust what’s genuine and what’s not nobody wants to be fooled

[@Abovethenotemedia00]

A lot of the newer generation Female Rappers aren’t selling well. Nicki held it down with PF2 selling 228,000 ( first week numbers).After that there’s a big margin drop. Doja 72,000 with Scarlet, Glorilla (Glorious album) 69,000, and Megan self titled album did 64,000 first week. For the male artist Travis Scott latest album album did 361K first week, followed by Kendrick GNX 319K, Tyler ChromaKopia 300K, & Future/Metro We don’t Trust you 251K! So this generation female rappers have big followings and media attention but their fanbase aren’t buying albums!💯

[@Ultraa_ray]

Thanks for dropping the numbers!! 💯

[@Abovethenotemedia00]

@ No problem. YW!

[@littlemiss1920]

As a consumer, I’m not paying for individual albums on top of a monthly streaming fee.

[@notreallyafamousartist695]

I’ve been in the music industry 8 years and I’m not buying albums lmfao

[@hiphopheads_]

Understandable point but i'd say for your favorite albums I'd say Own them in case Streaming pulls some BS Especially albums from dudes like Jay Z Or The Chronic that have been taken down multiple times You know just me but I understand your take

[@littlemiss1920]

@@notreallyafamousartist695 😂😂😂

[@littlemiss1920]

@@hiphopheads_ that’s a good point!

[@rawdawg9212]

Thats just the beloved Apple Music. Goole music never missed a beat​@hiphopheads_

[@cla9085]

Most of the music is not good enough to purchase.

[@hiphopheads_]

THAT TOO i was just having this conversation months back with someone Let's say we rewind to like the 2000s where yes there was Bootleg CDs but people still used CDs primarily you still went to the record store, best buy wherever u went listen I was young during them times So my folks handled all that but If your in Best Buy or wherever and you see Kendrick GNX vs Sexy Redd with no streaming 9x out of 10 there going with Kendrick not me being biased but who's gonna pay $14-$15 to hear Sexy Redd say cat in the hat ass rhymes vs Kendrick who's music actually means something Most these newer artist i hate to say it albums aren't worth buying like who wants to hear a whole CD of pound town all day shit I know I wouldn't because when I asked the person I had that convo with would they they said HELL NO🤣 Answered my Question I'd buy a Lil Durk, G Herbo (Old G Herbo like Welcome To Fazoland, Ballin Like Im Kobe, Humble Beast, Swervo and PTSD), Polo G first two albums, Cordae, Juice WRLD, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, King Von, JID, Joey Bada$$, Denzel Curry, Future, Travis Scott etc. because they actually put out good shit Anything post 2022 i won't lie to you i've tuned out now I either play shit from my Parents time 80s and 90s My time 2000s-2010s or shit from 2020-2022 on occasion Hell NGL some of these artist i've bought albums from some of them already But yeah your point is valid just thought i'd expand on it because It's crazy how I literally had this convo w abt this with someone back in like March-April

[@warrenlewis3977]

You kept it simple..

[@SoulOfTheSouth]

J Cole’s project during the summer did good numbers. At first it did 400,000 the first week then 137.95 million on-demand streams.

[@luiz_fuego]

man Cole, Dot & Drake all got cult fanbases, they forever gonna sell crazy

[@Tasha-c2e]

Putting out trash, social media, and streaming killed the music.

[@fredricodeniro1281]

I believe it’s just that people’s attention spans aren’t that long anymore. We’re living in a time where tv and radio isn’t that entertaining now. We have podcasts, we have social media, we have social networks. We’re more into putting our energy into real people now. In real time. Away from the game being over saturated, people no longer see mfz as celebrities. And it’s not just about rap music/hip hop. It’s all genres. You gotta have a cult effect with whatever you do these days.

[@NorthPhilly-zr7xc]

Fact's I agree

[@douglastaylor8039]

To many distractions and short attention spans.

[@BSmitty4rm8Fitty]

Back in the day we had 106 & Park, Rap City, Yo MTV Raps, TRL and other outlets that broke new artist to the world. If you enjoyed mainstream rap, you had 106&Park. If you want top 40 type hits you had TRL. If you wanted to listen to the tier 2 rappers (Jada, Method Man, UGK, 36 Mafia etc) you had Rap City and MTV Raps. If you wanted r&b, alternative r&b or neo soul, you had midnight love. Artist actually had a better chance because variety was king. Today we don't have true hip hop platforms that are concerned about the artist and the music. Prime example is the outlet here. The Joe Budden podcast and many others like have become too opinionated and invested in conflict. Their entire worth is based on the negativity is shines a light on and not the music. The world is full of talented artist but who's going to bring them to us. Who with a large platform is going to consistently introduce the world to newer/innovative artist and keep it strictly about the music. If we can get back to keeping the celebrity a mystery but the music a celebrity, the music game will bounce back.

[@matthewprince9705]

Get the singers and rappers on prime time TV and late night TV as well. You need dedicated TV shows to showcase LIVE Music with instruments. It doesn't matter how many performances you do online even like NPR's Tiny Desk. Prime Time TV, especially on a weekend, beats them all. If Middle America is talking about your performances on a Saturday evening family show, then you've made it...

[@BSmitty4rm8Fitty]

@@matthewprince9705 Agreed. Problem is, labels have abandoned artist development. Sad to say that a lot of these hip hop artist can't go sit on a couch and have an interesting convo with someone with the world watching. They just don't have the media training anymore.

[@rashun720]

Well said

[@Nita-kf3gh]

💯

[@tiffxyz2532]

Artist who've been in the industry for a few years are selling. Newer artists music isn't good and nobody is buying it or falling for it anymore.

[@MarcoJx2]

We as fan have accepted artist not dropping albums and then selling mixtapes and selling them as albums…

[@Rahnjahn]

I don’t think that the reason music isn’t selling is only because of the quality of music. I also think that music is also competing with every other form of content that’s out there right now. During times where people would listen to music you can now listen to things like podcast, scroll your phone or any other content that you like to watch on KZbin I’d be curious to see if music consumption in general is down.

[@SilFord-o9f]

Musically, across the board, the USA have been in a steep decline in musical talent, staring about 30 years ago. Where are the James Browns, Sammy Davis Jrs, Princes, Micheal Jacksons, Louis Jordans, TinaTurners, ertha kitts,

[@celestialnubian]

@SilFord-o9f Y'all don't live with the music like that anymore. Back then an album could have a slow buildup and live for years. Whitney Houston's debut album was released in February 1985. She was still dropping singles from it over a year later. MJ would be dropping singles from albums he did two years prior. That was when we actually bought music. Also, you can't really have superstars like we did in the 80s anymore.

[@Dunetherapper]

I think another reason mainstream artists aren't selling as well is that music production distribution and marketing is so accessible that now instead of a few thousand artists in all genres you are competing with millions of artists now.

[@researchtwins]

I saw this coming when I got my degree in Entertainment Management…2006. Music isn’t supposed to be “sold”…it’s supposed to be experienced. You can’t mass produce quality.

[@DezZ9]

I mean some of them did say that they're in it for the money but the 00s era somewhat taught them "money over everything"

[@BubbaChevy]

It's dying because it doesn't have more authentic artists like myself. 💯

[@zen-god]

Me Too 🙋🏿‍♂️💪🏿💯💯💯💯

[@BubbaChevy]

@zen-god 💯

[@lustbubo4638]

Unbelievably simple answer. NOBODY BUYS MUSIC. JUST FREE STREAMS.

[@jaysven6153]

I literally buy music. I buy vinyls. I even buy CDs and I’m in my 20s. Wym nobody?

[@jaysven6153]

@@jasminedtucker I agree, sadly :( I wish more people went out of their way to spend a few bucks and support the artist in a more direct way. I do what I can personally bc I truly love and live for music.

[@NStarX9]

Money money money music ain’t worth the time anymore unless you got money and time I gotta pay bills ima be working 12s forever music won’t work out

[@SweaterSwagg]

Such a sad state of affairs man

[@ozonespec]

Because you don't need to buy anymore. I literally just make a KZbin playlist and connect Bluetooth in my car. The ads are annoying but whatever.

[@Wheretheportlandorarealadiesat]

Hahahha

[@handsomedubbledee]

Listening to music on KZbin and actually downloading music to put on a DAP is a complete different experience. As you said, the ads mess up the listening experience. Also the quality of the music sounds better when you play the real tracks on a DAP. And you don't know have to buy music because of torrents as well.

[@Paco-u7l]

The answer is no one is buying music anymore so that's why its not selling

[@caldawkins4250]

Music ain’t been the same for over 2 decades now, social media ruined it, and the industry ruined it, they are looking for people to fit narratives, and looking over real talent. Music used to some type of art and poetry, that’s been left the music industry a long time ago, that’s why artists like j Cole and kdot stay hidden out the way, they know how bad the industry done went down heel smh it’s really depressing if you really like music like I do smh

[@ScaryHours-m2g]

They need bring back the 90s and early 2000s music style real instruments being played

[@hennyknows]

The music business is just a gateway into other things, the labels dont sell music they sell everything else that comes from it. For hip-hop it was the popular genre for a while and now its time for a change, it happens every couple of decades

[@collinsjermaine]

good music is out there but it’s not mainstream.

[@jjj0026]

It is so easily to distinguish Filet Migon artists from Hamburger Helper artists these days.

[@dolomitemusicgroup]

Streaming execs and labels hijacked all the proceeds. Noone buys the music product because of the supply...its cheap..its available and thats all

[@IssacAintPlayin]

It’s not selling because : 1.Low quality music short songs ,wack collaboration etc 2.Terrible concept (twerking on the devil ,being to party party etc 3.Artist drama on social media they rather be fame than make music . 4.Egos preventing people from working with people. 5.Blackballing 6.Stealing styles from regions you aren’t from so it’s out of wack with your own region. 7.Stealing songs too many people stealing songs & can’t even do the song correct . 8.Pretty favoritism if you pretty everybody like you even if you aren’t talented but if you “ok” or whatever they ain’t listening. 9.The radio DJ & PDs allowing the same song to play 60 times a day in one city burning the song out . 10.Rapper on Rapper assassins killing each other over a social media opinion,a female or whatever most the great artist are dead .

[@Norim845]

Work is sucking the life out of music. Artists turned to suppliers and listeners turned to consumers. Developments in information technology have made it so that artists have so much insight into the (potential) reception of their music, that it inluences their processes to the point that nothing is created without a strategical agenda anymore. The average consumer might be stupid, but at the end of the day we’re all humans trying to vibe to something genuine. 30 years ago nobody actually knew how many plays a deep-cut from a successful album would receive. 30 years later and artists might be reluctant to make a certain kind of song, knowing that it received the least amount of streams last time they put out an album. Technology has shifted the creative process from a more organic / unconscious one, to a more strategic / conscious one. The music ends up being less ''good'' because of this, and the consumer catches onto this sooner or later. Then there’s the oversaturation of the market which isn’t doing anything good to restore the above mentioned process either. Add in the fact that the current state of late stage capitalism has normalized a state of ''economical fear'' in every form of art possible, which (when combined with the increased amount of strategical information about the perception of one’s music) dramatically reduces the space to create moments of magic in the studio. Props to the artists who manage to bypass all of these challenges by creating something from a place of enjoyment and (unconscious) inspiration. I don’t see this negative process slowing down anytime soon.

[@legintv]

Great clip

[@roachfatthenostalgist7535]

I wish ppl on this pod would stop saying music is trash without naming names. When music is presented on the show they don’t say it’s trash.

[@trujdofficial333]

I appreciate Ice always wearing my favorite rappers clothing line… “ Long Live Nipsey Tha Great” TMC 4 EVA 💪🏾👑💙🏁🤲🏾

[@MelloBelloPhotoStudio]

These days record labels are rushing to get back their money because they know the life span of an artist has decreased big time so they need to milk their cash-horse as soon as possible.

[@weezyTUBE502]

Over saturated music ain’t the only entertainment nowadays

[@SullyAfgarshe]

the fundamental reason is because we no longer have the attention spans or the appetites for albums, everything we consume is about instant gratification...we watch sports highlights more than the games, even if we watch it's so we can track our parlay, we watch movie clips more than the movie, we stream any music we want at will, we watch any video we want at any point and skip to the next one at will...plus SM is bombarding us every second with some new shit, so even if something comes out it's ability to stay relevant for any real period of time is diminished...part of why Not Like Us got so big was because so many people first got a glimpse of it on KZbin or SM and not directly from a streaming service, we had hundreds if not thousands of reaction videos when it dropped... the whole business model of "entertainment" is built on getting, keeping, and manipulating our attention so we ready for the next thing, and the next thing who is waiting for an album when you got bangers coming out from all type of artists and from all types of genres daily...

[@iamswimsoul]

Support real artists. We exist. We are not being supported. Labels aren’t supporting us as much. Audiences aren’t supporting us as much and the support systems are necessary.

[@jaburollup]

To say music is trash is a damn lie. Its the distributors. Despite being digital, music is still costly to make especially to make it quality from the actual music to the packaging, presentation, promo and all.

[@boluanidugbe511]

It’s funny how they were using the McDonalds analogy and no one realised they are describing Drake lol

[@royce1041]

Once the business got rid of artist development, it was a matter of time

[@gariantroll2975]

Music is still being consumed probably at the same rate, but the monetization has changed due to tech. Way harder to monetize music, so you have to merchandise and depend on ticket sales.

[@sickvokals]

QUALITY IS GETTING THINNER AND THINNER

[@pauwalters]

As a hip hop artist just let me say how difficult it is to break through the noise. It's not about artistry I'm one of the hottest in my city and if you don't "play the game" you don't get nowhere

[@staceymajors7356]

Its dying because people like yall on the pod in big positions condone the bs that's out now and actually overlook the dudes with actual talent.

[@justinscott4357]

Why do they parallel Hit music with fast food??? Making a Hit is the hardest part of music. Cuz u have to craft your sound into something appealing to the masses

[@antucoblack2652]

I don't see the problem. This conversation started about album sales being low. Targeting sales has always been an issue in art. The internet did an amazing job of taking out all of the middle men, which in turn got rid of all the extra extra that went into promoting music. Now the promotion is smaller in larger playing field, so of course it's harder to look like a big deal when the next big deal is coming out every other week.

[@ReincarnatedStargazer]

I miss life before podcasts and streaming, AI and filters. Music was so much more fun with Sam Goody's and Camelot Music, MTV and Robert Johnson's BET shows like Video Soul, Midnight Love and Rap City.

[@hiphopheads_]

Hell i'm a 2000s baby but I miss them 2010s day where there was a good balance and the only streaming platform was KZbin and Netflix Listen I was fine in 2014 with Netflix and Hulu and KZbin and Grooveshark being my streaming platforms It's too much these days Like I tell my folks If I paid for shit on my own I just wouldn't do it especially w TV man atp just buy the fcking movie or show 😭 G shit like you'd be paying less doing that I still stream but I'm paying for 10+ platforms or scrolling through multiple to find one movie or show just ain't Makes me glad I got all my Old DVDs and Blu Rays because doing that shit is a pain No kizzy😂 As far as Music I mostly Stream when I'm out and about or just cleaning the house where i gotta be on the move but when I'm at the house 9/10 i'm just playing my albums while I game n shit So to me bottom line I like having the balance I think the 2010s did a good job of it where it wasn't too much of one thing

[@ReincarnatedStargazer]

@hiphopheads_ Yep! Nostalgia. I'm sure one day GenZ's generation will miss the ole streaming service.

[@2PACFOREVERMAKAVELI]

It aint dying. K.A.A.N., Malz Monday, etc. All good lyricists

[@TylonMonger]

Yo son. Where Joe? This the damn No Budden Podcast.

[@jIlxg]

There's a lack of creativity in mainstream music. If the music is good and "creative" then it can be sold as art (vinyl records, tapes, posters, etc.).

[@peterbadami4872]

As far as music sales being down, it's simple. Most people aren't gonna pay for something (MP3, MP4, wav, streams) that they can get for free. Artists should focus more on their stage show, tours, and merchandise; that's where most Artists are making their money.

[@dcrockett8605]

It feels like less actual artist and more people who chase money via music. Artistry > Hits Like anything, major music is about making money. Capitalism is about shareholders and cutting fat to make more money for the sake of making more money. The music industry now feels like it’s being driven by profit instead of making good music. It’s cookie cutter. Doesn’t matter if a person is actually talented…. Are they marketable? That’s more important.

[@MrDreFrazier]

Labels, producers, fans, artist arent holding each accountable and too a standard anymore and its an issue. People are too happy with bullshit.

[@SaloTV_]

Covid made the internet even more saturated with music and content than it already was. Now with how difficult it is to keep up, attention spans are shorter than ever. People feel the need to focus less on quality so that they can stay relevant by upping quantity

[@havipreetsingh7085]

1. There's 1000x the supply of music to the demand for it 100k new songs get uploaded to Spotify per day 2. Major labels are so risk averse that they only promote the most uninteresting music thinking it's going to maximize their investment, but it just causes diminishing returns 3. Big tech companies like Google and Spotify completely control: A. music taste-making; B. the finances of the music industry Meaning: the same 10-15 major label artists make 90% of the money from streams 4. Because music has been free for their entire life, young artists place 0 value on music. They don't value originality and they don't even care enough to be on-beat. Nobody even listens to more than :15 seconds of their songs Music is just content to spam to gain social media followers 5. Rap music specifically has sounded the same for approaching a decade. The same drums, same sounds, same ideas. How many times can you present the same song and expect people to react to it?

[@TheRealDJTabone]

Y'all insulting the NEW BLACK intelligencia. STYLE AND SUBSTANCE IS THE NEW URBAN VIBRATION.

[@Getyourdoe]

When's the last time we really had to buy music, it's free on KZbin just make your playlist.

[@H3WORLD]

its streams. lol. who’s buying a whole album for 14$ when you can stream whatever you want for 9.99$ a month. streaming also creates oversaturation because it’s filled with independent artists.

[@hiphopheads_]

True but on the flipside it can be taken down at any time for any stupid ass reason The Chronic prime example And me personally who the hell wants to deal with that have your little rights battles or whatever the fuck on your own time I wanna hear my tunes But Streaming is good for when you out and about or just up doing shit then when i'm idle playing the game or something like that Pop a CD in and vibe out ya know I like having the option of both but I always been that way since the 2010s me personally Always used both to me it's never good to lean on one thing because when that said thing Is taken your assed how I see it but I understand your point also💯

[@H3WORLD]

@ that’s true, if a wheel falls off the wagon it stops working of course, but as long as the wheels are still turning, album sales are done

[@CookingHealthy-jh6yd]

People know who is putting effort into there music and those who aren't

[@kuntryking7188]

😡Streams killing everything especially artist money. Big x album did 62m streams but only 48k in album sales. How does that make sense...Sad 😢

[@jonsin7697]

The real problem is that the artists who actually care about the art firm are not making songs people want to hear. And they are trapped in a concious bubble and not branching out into mainstream. They need to work with artists like future, drake, tyler, kanye, dj khaled and ect to get their message out there. It will deviate from their core brand of music a bit, but its a necessary move to get their art displayed.

[@thearkitype]

We also have to differentiate music consumers and music lovers. And most are catering to music consumers.

[@2dr3w1]

artist know what's wrong with the industry and they don't want to bite the hand that feeds them. also the industry knows every artist is expendable

[@stevieg5907]

This is a streaming issue, not a quality issue. I listen to other genres, not just rap, and their has been a lot of great music to release this year. I can't afford to spend money on 6,7,8 different albums on top of my streaming service. Artists need to have a 2 week purchase only option to get fans to buy music again.

[@NysceWorkk]

Two week option is solid idea. As music lover and artist so many songs on streaming. It’s like super buffet of music.

[@saintkevinofficial]

but the music would leak that way.

[@JusNBL2000]

I’m still putting my heart and soul into the music and I actually put thought into my projects it’s not super cohesive like Kendrick but it still has a solid theme lyrically or sonically

[@anazurik9736]

Simple solution... only release 1/4th of a song... if you want the entire song... they have to buy it from your site... Period. you can create music that can't be shared... I'm a publisher of eBooks and eVideos. Take back your streaming. Stop streaming your music for free! Period. Also, hold paid concerts online behind a pay wall. Your fans will buy your music and merch. Love you all! Oh, eliminate the middle men... simple and effortless...

[@alexwebsteraudio]

The industry died from an engineer/listener perspective because of 2 things: - The community aspect of music has died due to Globalisation (NY scene, London scene, LA scene). Music started getting engineered and produced for artists not from the same area, community or a place of love. For me, it doesn't have the same soul or spirit as it had back in the day. - No one is really pushing the boundaries, from lack of trying or the fact we idolise so much producers like Nigel Godrich or Rick Rubin, yet don't want to make an album just as beautifully crafted as an 'In Rainbows' by Radiohead

[@keyarahjordan4179]

i don’t think the industry is dying i think the industry they use to is dying,whole new wave of everything

[@JPMUSICSHOW]

I think you get out what you put in to creating music and what we’re seeing is a direct reflection of quantity over quality. Artists doing 5 songs in a session is now “normal” because they need output to keep up with the content machine. It isn’t a lack of effort or laziness in artistry, they have no choice but to constantly feed the algorithm.

[@TheLowEndTheory]

I get bored with music easily. Most of the time when im on spotify i do a whole lot of skipping songs.

[@godfreyassenga9958]

Michael Jackson would take 4 years to work on albums, but regular Joes think they can conjure up classics every 2 weeks- how Sway.