Was your favorite music influencer paid to post that song?
The landscape for music discovery has changed drastically over the last few decades.Largely gone are the days of finding your new favorite song by watching MTV or switching through radio stations.
Magazine and newspaper reviews are harder and harder to come by, given the decline of print journalism (and arts coverage in particular).And these days, your average music fan might find a new album or artist simply by scrolling social media, inundated with memes, dance challenges and opinionated influencers.Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have become massive drivers of success in the music industry.
TikTok is now key to breaking artists into the zeitgeist (see: this year's best new artist nominees at the Grammys) and helping songs — either new or old — climb Billboard's Hot 100 chart.On these apps, music influencers have become the modern-day equivalent of radio hosts or VJs.
They're often independent content creators rather than employees of a media conglomerate; they build their audiences through short-form videos that rely more on the whims of the algorithm than traditional gatekeepers of the industry.Their content is driven by their personal preferences and judgments, forming a new kind of media personality for music fans to latch on to: a trusted voice to let you know what's happening in music.But even though influencers largely seem like regular people sharing their love of music, the content they're making can sometimes be a form of hidden advertising.
NPR spoke with five music influencers who say they often accept payments to post about certain songs or artists without disclosing sponsorship.Some say they don't see any issues with this system — behind-the-scenes payments from labels or agencies for song promos — while others say they feel conflicted about the payments and don't want to be seen as "selling out" to the industry.Carly Bogie, who posts on TikTok as @hahakcoolgtgbye to over 80,000 followers, started posting "cool girl playlist" videos ...