Music Artists: On Commercialization and Earning More

Competition in the music industry is now in an all time high, what with all the platforms available that are very affordable especially those online options. So to keep up, music producers should be more business savvy when it comes to making decisions. Here’s a guest post on to be able to do just that.

Music is one of the strongest means of expressing one’s self. Considered as one of the fundamental forms of art, well-created music has the power to send a strong message to anyone who can listen to it. They say that the brand of music we create and listen to gets influenced by numerous factors, including the real-life situation the artist is living in. In the modern times, arguably the biggest influencing factor in modern music is commercialization. In fact, this has put music artists of all genres around the world under pressure.

Before going further, one has to define first what commercialization is. It is defined as the introduction of a particular product into commercial use. This would mean the entry of this product into the mainstream market as a commodity available for public consumption.

An item for commercialization may target a particular niche of people, but it may also be targeted towards a larger spectrum of individuals. If maximum sales are to be accomplished, the product should be packaged in such a way that it “sells” to its target audience.

As an art form that has a potentially strong mainstream reach and appeal, it seems very intuitive for music to be a target for massive commercialization. Some would say that commercialism by itself is actually good for music and the people involved around it.

Not only does it give an opportunity for artists to make a living out of their craft, but it can also make it easier for their works to gain wider appreciation. In an ideal world, commercialization can actually be a musician’s friend. However, that is not the case in the real world. Here are some of the reasons why music artists are under pressure from commercialization.

1. Artists become more focused on what “sells” – This is one of the sad realities of commercialized music. The focus of musicians shift from “how they can create the best product according to their skill” to “how can I make my music sell”. This is because musicians become more focused on getting their music sold that they forget about prioritizing content and artistry first. This leads to criticisms such as the music of today has become watered down (more on this later) and musicians having this image of being hungry for profits.

2. Recording labels gain more power over content– This is one of the downsides of the increasing trend towards commercialism. Skilled musicians tie up with recording studios to get exposure and the opportunity to earn more from their work. In return, studios and the people associated with them (producers, agents, attorneys, etc.) get the rights for not just the music, but also matters connected to it such as profit and intellectual properties. There are even times when the musicians become so powerless over their work that it can be said that they are puppets of their recording label.

3. Musical content becomes watered down – This is one of the major side effects of the increased commercialization of music. Musical content becomes watered down in multiple aspects. The artist is concerned about filling his pockets (and keeping his employers satisfied) that he makes selling music his priority over creating quality music. The music studio is concerned about keeping the cash flowing to their coffers so they take control of what musicians under their brand could and should produce. This disproportionate concern for money leads to all kinds of problems, including the reduction of quality of produced music.

4. Diversity of music and talents becomes reduced– Commercialization has the power to expand one’s presence. At the same time, it also has the power to marginalize. This marginalization can be observed on both the music being played (and promoted) in the airwaves and the type of talent that gets exposure. Great music can potentially be obscured by popular (or at least studio-promoted) music. Also, talented musicians can be obscured by their less-talented but more marketable (and probably better-connected) peers. This effect causes the artificial reduction of musical content and talent. At some point, it even affects how listeners may define as “good music”.

In many ways, music artists are under pressure from commercialization. It wasn’t meant to be that way, but the realities of an industry manipulated by commercial interests has skewed the balance of power and shifted it away from the artists.

In spite of this, it is still possible for non-commercialized music to be successful in the modern era. There are more mediums available for artists to show their talents today. Furthermore, great music and great artists have a way of rising above circumstance.