Music is Becoming More About Branding Than Talent

Music is an incredibly popular and important art medium in the modern day, with many artists reaching celebrity status for their songs.  Most of the time, this status is well earned through hard work, dedication to their musical genre, and most of all talent. 

However, in more recent years, this has changed. Many artists are now more focused on their branding and social media presence rather than making genuine and soul-filled music. Music is being made to become a viral sound rather than being made because of an inherent passion. 

One key example of this is found in the most recent Taylor Swift album Life of a Show Girl. This album was marketed really well, having many limited vinyl records at exclusive locations and with different colors. CDs had different versions of certain songs, and in general the album was very well marketed. Despite this, when the album came out it had mixed reviews. Some people said it was a cash grab and made solely for money, while others said she had given up on singing from the heart. While many dedicated fans loved the album, it is abundantly clear that she has strayed from her original path of great songwriting and personal music. 

Another example is a more recent and upcoming artist, Sombr. Most people know his name because of his viral song “Undressed,” and many others know of him because of his behavior at concerts. He is a very popular artist with a fanbase of primarily teenagers, and at his concerts he is known to be rather inappropriate with his fans. From asking the crowd to “bark” for him, to bringing younger girls (some underage) on stage to call their exes, Sombr is more known for his behaviors than his actual music. His branding is more focused on himself and his behaviors rather than his music, despite being an alternative-pop musician. Even his concerts are more focused on himself and doing crowdwork than actual music, further proving the idea that a social media presence is more important than your music. 

Despite all of this, there are many indie artists and popular musicians that have heavy social media presences while still making wonderful music. These artists are becoming popular because of their music rather than themselves, which is allowing for a healthy balance online. Some artists are famous because of their social media presence, while more unknown artists are able to get known because their music is good and they have actual talent. 

All in all, as the music industry shifts to a heavy focus on branding and social media, there are still some independent artists that are trying to break the new status quo. This fact means that there is still music being made out of love and passion rather than for fame and money.