Time Is Money
There is a saying that things come and go, and in the music industry, this statement couldn't be more true. Tens of thousands of songs and artists have appeared and disappeared, mimicking the speed of our algorithms. Because of this, labels ask the same question: What does it take to make a pop star today? The answer begins with artist development.
The role of social media platforms in the industry forced labels to redefine what it means to develop up-and-coming artists. While the industry acknowledges the massive technological advancements that have affected the rate of finding and establishing new artists, they failed to understand the negative implications of this speed when it comes to artist development.
The intricate relationship between social media and the music industry has led many record labels to hyperfocus on numbers, specifically streaming and followers. And in theory, this makes sense. Part of the criteria for signing an artist is ensuring the label's investment will pay off, and if the public is showing interest in an artist, their numbers and engagement will reflect it.
For labels, specifically A&Rs, social media has granted them access to the most promising of musicians at lightning speed. With the pool of musicians larger than ever, musical experience has taken a backseat in the discovery process. Yet, experience and extensive development made pop stars like Beyonce, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, and others so groundbreaking. They set a new bar for what creation could be.
The number game has impacted every fabric of the A&R role. In today’s climate, quality music is just one of the things artists need to get signed. They need to be marketable, and the easiest way for an A&R to identify this within an artist is to analyze their streaming numbers and followers. The more eyes on these artists, the easier it will be to grow their fanbase and push their music. And with TikTok and other platforms sinking their claws deeper into the industry machine, the number game has reigned supreme. This cycle undermines the incomparable role experience and development play in successful music careers.
Utilizing number analysis is fair and valuable, but numbers do not always indicate experience level. Because of this, labels should stay prepared for the possibility that an artist may not be ready in the areas necessary to succeed at a major label level, at least not yet. Labels must be committed to investing in an artist's development. This means altering timelines of single and album releases, live shows, and more. Labels have emphasized the numbers without equally emphasizing artist development, and this is where the problem lies.
In every artist’s path, there is an evolution of personal style, genre, songwriting, and other factors that create the musical persona. The musical persona is necessary in developing any pop star. These elements are developed through musical experience in life, onstage, and in the studio. When an artist is signed, the role of the A&R is to get their product, a single or an album, to the record label to release. This process is quick and aggressive for newly signed musicians, especially in the streaming age. This results in their musical development stalling. It is important to note that the swiftness and pressure of this process are created by the record label and their expectations, not the A&Rs. While many factors go into marketing an artist, including visualizers, PR campaigns, and more, it all means nothing if the music quality does not hold its weight.
In this digital terrain, the impact of undeveloped artists has been frequent and noticeable. One of the greatest tragedies I have seen is the rise and fall of TikTok artists. Often carried by the momentum of a song that transcends the app to radios in the United States and internationally, they frequently disappear after the record, or if they get signed, their follow-up records fail to capture the public's heart. This occurs when artistic vision is absent. The song is oftentimes attached to a visual trend, a moment, or a phrase. It doesn't evoke enough emotion for the record to live outside the app, or to etch the artist into audiences' minds. And before you know it, the artist is gone with the wind.
What keeps audiences around is curiosity and confidence. Curiosity comes from musical evolution, a process that can only materialize through experimentation. An artist has to have the time to fail and explore, but this process is cut too short in the efforts to keep up with musical trends and the artist’s relevance. Consistency is the byproduct of releasing steady but quality music, which propelled artists like Michael Jackson, Prince, and Whitney Houston to icon status. Their music and performances have consistently stood the test of time because they had the time and experience to develop their artistry. Experience makes musicians nimble, resilient, and unafraid of innovation, which adds to their artist signature (or uniqueness).
If time is the friend of artist development, then virality is the enemy, and it doesn't help that the industry uses virality as the cornerstone of promotion. It is truly a recipe for disaster. It deprives artists of the chance to develop themselves on and off the stage. Their songwriting succumbs to the pressures of recreating their previous sound or mimicking the sounds of others, their vocals suffer due to improper singing techniques, and their lack of experience, in general, creates insecurities within the artist. This fatal cocktail has led to the demise of promising voices and the fallacy that the industry lacks talent. This is a blatant lie.
Being a pop star can be diluted to materialistic things, but it requires extensive development in personal and physical health, dance, writing, media training, music theory, and more. These all come together to make up the musical backbone. For an artist to go without this, labels are signing a moment, not an artist.
From the pop stars of the past, it is evident that labels wanted to create a juggernaut. They wanted them to transcend the masses through music, performances, and persona. Every show, interview, and album was a body of work meant to craft an experience of the star that solidified their legend and eventually catapulted them to the level of icon. That is what a pop star truly is. It is a social phenomenon.
So how can record labels make or find the next pop star? The answer might upset them. It would be to put their money where their mouth is. To achieve this level of stardom, you must invest in the artist with more than money; you must invest in them with time. This could mean investing in A&R teams to research new and efficient ways to asses artists or simply listening to what the A&R teams need. Sometimes, a conversation is the best fix. But one thing remains clear, artist development must be valued and given the respect it deserves.
My hope is when labels find a young musician they take a moment to understand they are removing a person from their bedroom, classroom, or full-time job to the eyes of millions of people. They are on the biggest stages they have ever seen and have lost the chance to grow and pivot at their own volition; the pressure can feel insurmountable, and they need guidance. No pop star is born a pop star; they become one in time. And if you push too hard, all you will create is a star who burns out too fast.