celeb news Music execs "depressed" about not being able to break new popstars: Billboard

[Beyonnaise]

 

Quote

 

Pop Stars Aren’t Popping Like They Used To — Do Labels Have a Plan?

 

 

What does it mean to “break” an artist? It’s a question that has plagued the music industry in recent months. If a singer has billions of streams but walks down the street unrecognized, have they broken? Is a lone billion-stream single enough, or is a second hit required as proof of staying power? And what if an artist racks up multiple hits but can’t pull off a major headlining tour?

 

The consensus among label executives is that the last pop artist to break big was Olivia Rodrigo, who had four top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits during 2021 and debuted at No. 1 on the chart with “Vampire” in July 2023. It’s a track record, they say, that today makes her seem like a unicorn.

 

“Nobody knows how to break music right now,” one senior executive laments. “I think they’re all lost.”

“There is a need and a desire for new artists that have real substance — artists that are more than just a song, that we can really lean into, buy concert tickets, buy [merchandise],” says J. Erving, a manager and founder of the artist services and distribution company Human Re Sources.

“Each person I talk to in the industry is more depressed [about this] than the person I talked to before them,” says another manager.

 

...

Some blame the meager number of big breakthroughs on label decisions. According to the first A&R executive, “Labels signed more and signed worse than ever before in the decade-plus I’ve been at a major.”

...

 

Genrewise, country is buzzing, and Pluma is at the forefront of a regional Mexican boom. “There are artists breaking. It’s just that they’re in different genres, not typical pop,” one major-label A&R executive says. Pop’s current genre share dropped from 12.87% at the start of the year to 10.69% at the mid-point, according to Luminate.

Still, many music executives remain worried about stagnation beyond a single musical style. They scan the landscape and see “moments,” as one put it, that can fade, rather than genuine breakthroughs that endure. “A lot of people have this bleak mindset,” a second major-label A&R executive says. Even pop radio is seeing “historic lows” in consensus hits, according to radio veteran Guy Zapoleon, which has led to “a bear market for new music.”

Dylan Bourne, who manages rapper JELEEL!, among others, expresses a common industry sentiment: “I see one act that has broken through this year, and that’s Ice Spice.” He adds, “The fears and concerns that people were having last year have only increased.”

...

Some cite the precipitous decline of mass media like radio and the maddening unpredictability of TikTok. And some attribute the feeling of industry inertia to the exhausting intensity of competing for attention in a world where gamers and influencers wield as much clout as music artists, if not more.

“Every issue that we’re facing right now comes down to oversaturation,” Bourne says. “People are just buried in content.”

“You know when you go camping and someone pulls out a guitar, and you’re like, ‘Oh, my God. Can you please stop?’ ” grouses a third A&R. “That guy is on [digital service providers] now.”

In addition to those factors, executives say, a hit doesn’t mean what it used to. It’s common to hear grumbles about young acts who have hundreds of millions of plays of a single but can’t fill a small room for a live performance. “It’s easier [today] for folks to be passive fans,” Erving says. “For you to consider yourself really broken, people need to care about you beyond the song. Where is the connectivity? Are people really dialed in in a deeper way?”

As a result of these shifts, some executives argue that the industry needs to change the way it thinks about breaking artists. As one A&R executive puts it: “Maybe there aren’t as many players slugging home runs, but there are more producing a steady stream of singles and doubles.”

 

Really interesting article.

Edited August 8, 2023 by Beyonnaise

[Asscatchem]

newjeans is right there [2]

 

kpop stars are literally outselling all your faves in pure sales and ageTRL wants to pretend new stars dont exist anymore

Edited August 8, 2023 by Asscatchem

[venuss]

They really pretend that simply throwing an artist/singer out there is enough. Like no, ma'am. 

 

The era of massive debuts is probably over and not everyone will have massive hits out of the gate. Take time to cultivate the artists and their fanbases. It pays off in the long term.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 8, 2023 by venuss
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[queenoftheclouds]

Invest in the good old artists and push them.

[Aston Martin]

I feel like new pop stars aren't popping like they used to, but a lot of the ones that did 10+ years ago still have longevity on the charts and a good amount of touring power. Surely that makes up for the lack of new ones, at least from a financial perspective?

[smartalek22]

im an artist so like sign me and ill do it all luvs 

[Shoful]

They’re definitely right. There hasn’t been BIG pop star energy since like 2010. All the recent stars have very little image, sure they have big song streams. But the girls from 2010 are still dominating them in like every other category

[EnigmaticAndroid]

The current crop of wannabes is pretty dire and lacking in talent and vision. Obviously these boring Tik Tokers aren't going to be taking the world by storm, so stop putting all your eggs in them. 

[NEX]

17 minutes ago, Beyonnaise said:

The consensus among label executives is that the last pop artist to break big was Olivia Rodrigo

I would have said Ice Spice

[JohnWayneHolland]

The thing is that the artists they push make mediocre/bland/generic music, the artists that actually make great/innovative music barely get any promo, if any.

[Odette Violet]

Maybe in Murikkka but Kpop has been bigger than ever. We have Blackpink, Aespa etc. 

[Big Bad Wolf]

This was always inevitable with streaming.

[JungleJuice]

Everyone just sings relationship drama songs so it's hard for me to find a newer artist to stan for. I just stick to my faves and try to discover older artist from before my time 

[fauxtography]

Honestly kpop has replaced any need for a supercharged pop star and thats at fault for western music letting the gap in conventional pop artists last for so long.

 

[Darkgalord]

My theory is that social media is part to blame for the lack of new superstars pop artists. People just don't care the same about them the way they used to IMO. 

The rare factor and mystique is gone. 

 

 

 

[Mocha]

That illuminati voodoo just ain't working anymore 

 

[k4rmabutterfly]

20 minutes ago, fridayteenage said:

Time for the black pink girls to have solo dominations here 

I literally came to say this  

[LustSpell]

Because streaming, social media, and TikTok has destroyed the ideal star. People get a quick hit, some coins, popularity and that's it. Like, no one wants to be a star anymore. The mystique and cool factor of being said star has been lost with the rise of social media because you just see everything of someone's life. Not to mention the addition of stans which in itself is another mess. Everyone knows how labels treats artists from some of our faves being shelved or treated inhumanely.

 

Some of our faves getting their masters stolen from them and never getting an opportunity to own them. Artists making literal pennies because of 360 deals and not being able to make ends meet. So why would people even be a star? Why make yourself suffer at 10x the rate for no gain? That era is dead and is never coming back.

Edited August 9, 2023 by LustSpell

[airplane]

All these new “artists” that debut are either entirely talentless industry plants who are too full of themselves or corny sad girls.

 

We need something new and fresh.

Edited August 8, 2023 by airplane

[State of Grace.]

Monoculture is dead, there will never be another superstar, etc

 

It's kinda sad but this is just the reality that we're gonna have to live with. I think Dua/Billie/Olivia will be the last stars for a while. The others just get some quick lil hits but don't stick long term.

Edited August 8, 2023 by State of Grace.

[Alyssa Edwards]

Streaming killed the popstar, wbk.

[GraceRandolph]

Everyone dragged me for pointing this out, saying female pop was in a healthy place due to a few exceptions to the rule though. 

[JayG]

Because you're ignoring artists that have ACTUAL talent - Tinashe, Bonnie McKee, Normani, Tove Lo, Jon Bellion... theres TONS of artists out there who are incredible pop artists that they NEVER pushed or funded enough, and its YOUR FAULT, they never got what they deserved (in terms of label push) BECAUSE of you guys

 

Label executives are talentless trash with absolutely no taste... so many artists have said this... why are we supposed to feel bad about these old white CEO's  "depression" over the fact their wallets are running dry when all they were concerned with before was commerciality and numbers/money? Y'all had TALENT just sitting right there, and ****** it up so badly with those artists so much so that they left the major label system and killed it independently...

 

Its THEIR fault, period

 

Y'all had superstars, but decided to invest in social media and TikTok and streaming... because MONEY over artistry

 

Superstars are ARTISTS, not a 'quick lil single' bop... and the ones who realised their worth and their artisty are going indie/starting their own labels instead of conforming to the "we need a hit" mindset...

 

Edited August 8, 2023 by JayG

[popularmoonlight]

If they invest in their artists with actual substance that helps them develop their craft and ACTUALLY let them release albums maybe things would be different. This is their own fault. 

[Armani?]

2 minutes ago, JayG said:

Because you're ignoring artists that have ACTUAL talent - Tinashe, Bonnie McKee, Normani, Tove Lo, Jon Bellion... theres TONS of artists out there who are incredible pop artists that they NEVER pushed or funded enough, and its YOUR FAULT, they never got what they deserved (in terms of label push) BECAUSE of you guys

 

Label executives are talentless trash with absolutely no taste... so many artists have said this... why are we supposed to feel bad about these old white CEO's  "depression" over the fact their wallets are running dry when all they were concerned with before was commerciality and numbers/money? Y'all had TALENT just sitting right there, and ****** it up so badly with those artists so much so that they left the major label system and killed it independently...

 

Its THEIR fault, period

 

 

In what way is the label ignoring Normani? 

 

She had 5 years to drop a album after all the industry support & connections