Corporate Dulls the Beat: How Monopolies are Muffling Music’s Creatives

-Written by John Makela-

Music is forever changing, but it isn’t in the hands of creatives anymore.

Corporate control over music has changed a lot of what we hear through the mainstream. However to fully understand this we have to understand everything about it. What corporate control means, where it came from, and how it affects what your favorite artist actually releases. 

The Lack of Competition in the Music Industries, the Effect on Working Musicians, and the Loss of Canadian Music Heritage (2023) was a research paper presented by Brianne Selman, Dr. Brian Fauteux, and Dr. Andrew deWaard. It covers multiple different ways that unfair competition exists inside the music industry, and will be sourced heavily throughout this article. 

This column piece will dissect global corporatization in the music industry, and how it has rapidly evolved into a pot of greed and despair.

The Monopoly

It’s best we start with the bad, and If we’re gonna tackle the issue of corporatization in music there is something we must first address, the music business is more monopolized than ever. When it comes to genuine music distribution, (in the form of cds) there are a total of 5 brands in the US that own a whopping 85% of the market when it comes to compact disc distribution. This puts those not under the top 5 agencies at a major disadvantage. It is even common for these brands to acquire the indie artists that are gaining traction in order to get a percentage of the sales and eliminate competition.  

There are three large music corporations that control the flow of most music in Canada, these are Universal Music Canada, Sony Music Entertainment Canada, and Warner Music Canada. These monopolies leave independent music producers with less than 20% of the market. Lack of diversity in music production has caused a lack of diversity in terms of music listened to by Canadians.

Another example we find in the music industry comes in the case of streaming. While monetization does vary between services, most streaming platforms do not offer the artist much, along with labels setting restrictions on how much the money the artist actually sees. Overall while artist’s are attracting a lot more attention they are generating a majority of their wealth for these music giants. “A decrease in the amount of money an artist earns for recorded music has meant an increased reliance on touring and the live music industry for generating income and support for new music. Yet the live music industry is dominated by LiveNation (which owns Ticketmaster), as well as Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), controlling the rights to perform at the largest venues and festivals, while dictating onerous terms to musicians.”

The Effect it has on Music

Wikipedia says, “Art can be defined as an act of expressing feelings, thoughts, and observations.” Art is abstract, it is not one individual thing that can be exchanged, it is an expression of feelings. When the ability to create and relate with art is restricted.

The influence large corporations have had on how we view music as an art cannot be undermined. They have sold an idea to all artists that will forever impede their work, the idea that people need to see what they make for it to be worthy. Labels give artists the ability to perform and set up amazing shows showcasing their talent, lifestyle, and most of all wealth. The intersectionality is a two-sided blade. It has turned what was once a form of self-expression into a competition. While competition in itself is not inherently bad, it is when it is unfucking believably unfair. 

Large corporations being involved in the music industry also directly impacts an artist’s ability to “break-out” in the music scene. It is much harder for musicians to gain their start and acquire a passion for creating music. 

“Fewer, larger players are setting the terms for what a music career involves and requires, with most of these players predominately American and part of a global media conglomerate. The results are limited employment opportunities in Canada overall, with music labor centralized in larger cities with higher cost of living and significant material obstacles to a sustainable livelihood in music-based careers”

Conclusion

Corporate’s effect on music will be everlasting. The current grip it has on the culture is concerning and raises questions for what the future of music might look like. Corporate has made it harder to create music, harder to get attention as an artist, and completely fucked up the self-expression part of it. The only hope we can look towards is independent artists. If you want to help fight against “the man”, support local musicians, it helps everyone. Beyond this remember that creating music is something everyone can, and should do, so don’t let mass manipulation tell you otherwise. Music is an art, it is self-expression, it can’t be controlled if everyone creates.