Music is an artist’s life, especially once they start their career in music. Sometimes, the debut of an artist is a huge hit. It would give the rising star maximum publicity, which could lead to contracts with corporations. These contracts can be a bad thing because they divert artists from their true passions. Signing a corporate contract can lead to failure for an artist who wants to achieve fans. Signing with corporations can sometimes have positive results for the artist. Signing up with a company can help an artist launch their business, and could also bring more publicity to the artist. What is the value of a contract with a company? The answer is that it varies. Some star deals are a win-win for the stars, while others result in a loss of fans. Using music for advertising can have both positive and negative effects.
YouTube, Spotify, Pandora, and other applications (apps), are used by millions of people who enjoy listening to music. These apps allow fans to enjoy their favorite artists’ songs for free and unlimited times. Apps are great for music listening from the fan’s viewpoint. Apps aren’t the best way for artists to earn money. David McCandles, an analyst who has studied the incomes of artists, says that a signed solo artist needs about 5,478 downloads from Itunes to earn the minimum wage in the United States. McCandles doesn’t have it wrong either, but payments-per stream are at a record low for artists. Taylor Swift is one of the many big artists who have started to raise awareness about this issue. Swift, who claimed “streaming service doesn’t adhere well to her values”, pulled her entire catalog off Spotify back in 2014. Since then, Swift has been joined by other stars like Garth Brooks and AC/DC. Bob Seger also took a stance against advertisements and streaming services. Zoe Keating, on the other hand, is in favor of streaming services. She claims “smaller artists have a greater chance of success once they reach a wider audience.” “Services like this should be viewed by musicians as a tool to promote their music”(Carter, 3). Keating has a point about how streaming services can help new artists become popular. Take Rae Sremmurd. His song “Black Beatles,” which he co-wrote with Gucci Mane and became a huge hit amongst the younger audience, was the number one music chart for three consecutive weeks. Sremmurd rose to fame thanks to his song and the ads that promoted it.
According to their perception, advertisements can be beneficial or detrimental for an artist. While some big-time performers are opposed to the idea, others are for it. Advertising can help or hurt an artist’s career.
