How do we make the music industry more equitable?

The music industry is a notoriously inequitable landscape for artists. When people talk about inequity in music, the conversation usually centers around the imbalance of power between artists and labels, and the inherent unfairness that exists in business arrangements. That’s all real, but it’s not the only unfairness that has traditionally been present in the music industry.   

There’s been a long history of inequity between “insiders” and “outsiders” too. It used to be that the “insiders” were the ones in a position of privilege in that they had all the right connections. Whether their parents worked in the industry or they had enough family wealth to move out to a traditional music hub like Los Angeles or New York, the “insiders” had a leg up from the get-go.  

Now, both these issues have been challenged by something they can’t possibly outrun: technology.  

Technology has transformed the music industry into a space where more artists and more creative work can shine through. This has helped to even the balance of power between artists and labels, made the art itself a bit more important, and reduced the necessity for privileged relationships in the process.  

Just as the longbow ended the dominance of (and in the end, need for) the knight in armor, the digital age has created a renaissance in the music industry. With technological advances like streaming services at our fingertips, artists of all sizes and genres can create their music, reach an audience, and develop a successful career – and they don’t need record labels to do it.   

Streaming services have leveled the playing field by making it possible for artists to find fan bases at a smaller cost and for higher returns than ever before. The barriers have never been lower, and connections are no longer essential.  

Making the music industry more equitable starts with allowing a wider range of artists a shot at success. Streaming services and the low- or no-cost distributors that serve music to them have opened things up dramatically, but access to funding is still the number one problem standing in an artist’s way.

No matter how budget-conscious, it still costs something for artists to write, to create, and to have the time to invest in themselves, their craft and their career.   

When an artist realizes this, the most common thought has been to “get signed.”  Except, unless you’re a part of the age old “in crowd” or give off that supposed “star power,” major labels are more likely to show you the way out rather than pull back the velvet rope.  

This is the new story of insiders and outsiders in the industry, with the insiders being the ones who actually get signed to a label and the outsiders being the ones who can’t seem to catch a break. Whether it’s that they don’t want to give up ownership and independence in exchange for a record deal or that 50,000 monthly listeners on Spotify just isn’t enough to grab the attention of a major label, tons of artists still find themselves on the outside looking in.   

To build equity in music, artists need options for funding, marketing and creative services, partners and collaborators – all of which are likely better matched to the artist when untethered from major labels (and each other).   

Companies are already starting to realize this, and there are a growing number of them that offer creative and production services separately from funding solutions, and vice versa . This unbundling of services is the beginning of an industry transformation because it makes way for more artist services companies to embark on their own initiatives – but we need more. 

We need more services, producers, marketing companies, and creative partners that span the industry and align with varying artists, genres, needs and locations to claim sovereignty from major labels, and from the many people that still hold on to the old paradigm of how the music industry “should be”.  That’s leveling the playing field, and that’s how we make the music industry more equitable.  

In an equal opportunity music industry, there are no insiders or outsiders, and much less imbalance of power.  There is, however, a lot of great art.  And, when the industry is more equitable it becomes further diversified, democratized, and a landscape where artists of all kinds can flourish.