If there’s one thing we’re sure about the music industry, the business is so cutthroat companies are willing to do just about anything to make sure their artists succeed. You’d be surprised at some of the bizarre activities they do just to secure a profit. Fans only see the glitz and glam, but not the degree of illicit activity that happens behind the scenes.
With everything going digital, even how artists earn is constantly evolving. The slow decline of physical album sales and the popularity of streaming sites means less income for many stars. Even the biggest names in the industry today, including the likes of Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and Justin Bieber, suffer through this change in the industry’s financial landscape. However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Here are five secrets the music industry doesn’t want you to know.
1. Celebrity Beefs Are Faked for the Sake of Publicity
Celebrity beef can easily send social media into a frenzy, with fans quickly taking sides and skipping online classes just to follow everything as it happens! Some celebs have even developed a reputation for having been in a number of spats with others. An excellent example of such would be Nicki Minaj, who seems to have beef with a new celeb every month. Aside from her continuous exchange of words with rival rapper Cardi B., other memorable moments include her shading Miley Cyrus during an interview. However, celebrities do stage some of these not-so-friendly exchanges to create talk about the artist. As the saying goes, no publicity is bad publicity.
2.Celebrities Are Also Known to Fake Their Personalities
This next one happens more often than people believe it does and is considered a part of the investment planning process for some producers. Unfortunately, newer artists often experience this, and it takes quite a strong will to say no. Just take singer Alecia Moore, better known as Pink, for example. The singer has always had a strong vision for what she wanted to do in terms of style and music, but her producer had something different in mind. When she released her “Mizundaztood” album, she showed off an edgier style closer to her actual personality. However, L.A. Reid, her producer, wanted something more polished.
The two clashed pretty severely, but she later got back at him in the song “Don’t Let Me Get Me.”
3.Some Artists Have No Control Over How Their Earnings Are Spent
While there are a lot of artists who do manage to earn significant investment money, there are also those who end up in the red despite working hard. Just take the story of Little Boots, one of the more successful artists back in 2009. Not only did her debut receive plenty of media attention, she even got a nomination from the BRIT Awards. However, despite all of these achievements, she barely kept any of the money she made.
The singer goes on to describe her company spending the money on marketing her and her music. However, they went to excessive means, and the singer began to feel as if some of the purchases were unnecessary. That includes presents and five-star hotel accommodations for PR people!
4.Online Music Streaming Doesn’t Pay as Much As You Think It Does
Have you ever wondered why artists such Beyoncé, Kanye West, and Taylor Swift have chosen to remove their discography from streaming sites? That’s because, even though they get millions of streams, it doesn’t necessarily mean they receive the same number in profit. A good example of this is Avicii’s single “Wake Me Up,” which received over a hundred million streams. However, when he got his check after having the song on Spotify for a year, he received less than $920,000.
5.Artists Earn Most of their Income From Perfume
If they aren’t making money on Spotify, how do singers get returns for their investments? You’d be surprised that artists such as Beyoncé make the most money through perfumes. That is why you’ll find many celebrities putting out their own line of perfumes. Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, Mariah Carey, and even Adam Levine all have fragrance deals of their own. Just how much money is in the perfume business? Around $400 million worldwide!
Were you surprised? While people have always been suspicious of the darker side of the music industry, many are still shocked to learn that certain illicit things actually happen. It makes you want to think twice about who to credit, right?