Who are not concerned with their success but rather with the bottom dollar. She believes that this structure hurts musicians as they sell their music to corporations Writes in “Believe Me” ( 2012a) that the industry is an organizational structure with the few powerful elite maintaining control of the industry, while many artists at the bottom struggle to gain their attention. Musicians who do align themselves with large corporationsįind it difficult to obtain a profit due to exploitation They believe that companies dupe acts into believing they are concerned for their well-being when in reality Macklemore and Ryan Lewisĭescribe it as a cold and unscrupulous place ripe with failure for many who get signed. , lure musicians onto their label with the promise of success without revealing their desire to exploit their music to maximize profits.
They write that those higher up on the corporate ladder, such as Jimmy Iovine , and co-launching the successful headphone brand “Beats by Dre Has been credited with signing Tupac Shakur
” ( 2012a), they recall that on the verge of signing a contract, they “felt a cold hand grab on the back of my neck.” Their song depicts the importance of Jimmy Iovine Write of their experiences with companies attempting to corporatize their music. Macklemore LLC’s Macklemore and Ryan Lewis They assert that corporationsĭo not put their interests first, but rather are concerned with profit, growth, stability, and brand name recognition. Indies also complain that the majors act as venture capitalists that provide them with up-front capital in exchange for the opportunity to exploit their music and culture for monetary gain. Men, that held positions of power in the entertainment industry , hip-hop saw its music being concentrated in the hands of the few, mostly elite white Ownership as record contracts transferred the ownership of rights to sell and promote music from the artist to the label (Rose 2008). With this corporatization, musicians began to lose control of their copyright Sony BMG was eventually able to increase their profit margins by financially backing a credible brand name such as Bad Boy. , was bought out by Sony BMG once they obtained enough capital and parity to contend for record sales with larger corporations Powerhouse signees such as the Notorious B.I.G.,
Much of their risk was mitigated by buying out smaller labels that already created a profitable business model. Subsequently, hip-hop saw a decline in one hit wonders as companies invested in musicians and albums that conformed to a standardized model of music production to ensure their investments were secure and profits were maximized (MyerĢ007). The culture then saw a shift toward homogenization in musical content and cultural influences as it became predominantly consumed by whites Into a commodity sold in the mainstream market. Johnson ( 2008)īelieves that the golden era was filled with lyrical mastery, innovation in beat production, diversity in style and content, and a push toward popular media. In the mid-1990s, hip-hop experienced a meteoric rise to popularity. The Beginnings: Major Labels Corporatize Hip-Hop and Its Music Also, they claim that record contracts, which include artist development deals and 360 degree contracts (also known as multiple rights dealsĪnd take advantage of the musician. They point to the corporatization of hip-hopĬulture as highly exploitative. Bring attention to the persistent problem of economicīy major record labels.
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