I do not think there is a single person in this world who has not considered a career in music at some point in their childhood and adolescence. Especially not within our generation that was practically raised on Hannah Montana through elementary and middle school and graduated from high school with more knowledge about TikTok stars turned musicians than financial literacy. The music industry benefits from the propaganda that everybody can be a famous musician, that one only needs some basic skill and a lot of courage to become the next living legend. However, the reality of a successful music career is far different from what we are fed through the media.

My first exposure to the harsh truths about the music industry was the memoir I Was Bono’s Doppelganger (alternate title Killing Bono) by Neil McCormick. Being an obsessive U2 fan since before I can remember, I picked up the book thinking I would learn more about my favorite Irish four, but instead found myself down a rabbit hole about label conspiracies and scandals. The book details the story of the two McCormick brothers who were close to becoming the staple Irish band instead of their friends from U2, but were simply let down by the industry. On the cover of my copy of the book, there was even a statement by Elton John, saying that this is the most realistic account of the struggles of rising artists in the music industry he has ever read. And I trust Elton’s perception on hardships related to developing one’s skill and brand in the music industry.

After reading this book, I read more about Prince, George Michael and Amy Winehouse. It is unfortunate that the truths about the exploitation they faced as artists within big labels were only revealed posthumously. Out of the three, Prince was the only one who managed to escape the meat grinder of the mainstream production companies, but not without scandal. Still, I believe we can credit him for the rise of independent artists that later became mainstream stars.

One would think that after the reveals of these big scandals, there would be a change in the way the music industry operates… or at least some statement of responsibility. Because it is such a sturdy structure with so much money on the table, hardly anything has been done to protect artists from exploitation. That is also evident in the way most popular tracks sound similar and repetitive. Most artists, willingly or not, follow the prescribed formula of their production companies to create chart hits instead of art. There is also a misconception that streaming services have improved the situation for artists by providing them with new platforms, more exposure, and a new stream of income. However, despite the fact that the diversification of the modes of income has contributed to the raise in pay for artists, the biggest portion of the pie still goes to their producers, and their executives, and the executive’s executives…

Recently the issue is becoming more and more widely discussed because of the gross overstepping of boundaries of the big companies in the K-pop industry. Now that K-pop has taken the international music markets by storm, fans are looking for more ways to engage with their favorite artists and inevitably reveal dark secrets about the mistreatment even the household bands and soloists have to endure. It is no secret that this industry is even more demanding than the Western European or the North American branches because they expect their artists to be excellent rappers, singers, dancers and actors all at the same time. They have double-booked schedules, strict diets, and fitness plans, and at least two album releases per year with a month-long pre-release marketing campaign. The extremes of the K-pop industry make international news with cases of absolute tragedy of the loss of artists who took their own lives because of the inhuman stress of being a label-contracted musician under some of the big companies in South Korea.

Surprisingly, TikTok proves to be the salvation of independent and rising artists. It is what helped Raye, an incredible singer-songwriter, escaped a contract that kept her as a ghostwriter and backing artist for over a decade. However, when she released her original song “Escapism” as an independent artist and it took off on TikTok, she was able to establish a name for herself and end her contract with the exploitative production company.

And yet, even TikTok is not really the solution to the problem. The short-video format of the content on the platform raises an audience with a short attention span and a desire to follow only one aesthetic or genre instead of developing a diverse playlist. It also detaches audiences and artists from the experience of listening to music, purchasing records, or, at this point, even streaming the songs on platforms other than TikTok in some cases. And as mentioned above, it has become the key to glorifying the gilded cage that the music industry has become by feeding into the narrative that anyone and everyone can make it into the industry… which is true only as long as you play by the rules of big labels.