The music industry wouldn’t be what it is today without the contributions of Black artists, however, Black musicians have always received less credit and have been paid far less than their white counterparts.
The music industry is known for having predatory contracts that often exploit the artist or prevent them from making and releasing music, for example Philadelphia rapper Lil Uzi Vert was at odds with his previous label “Generation Now” whom he has pointed at for the delay of his sophomore album “Eternal Atake.” Since the introduction of labels, more artists have taken precautionary measures to avoid the creative and economic harm that these contracts cause.
But labels don’t construct these contracts for no reason; artists sign onto these labels because they provide the connections and resources needed for the artists to further develop and improve their work.
“They used to be a gatekeeper in a way where it was like a necessary thing to go through for the industry and to gain attention to get yourself seen by a mass amount of people, but nowadays it seems like it’s not quite the same,” said Joseph Daniels, fourth-year music industry scholar who is also a rapper and producer. “Labels are more focused on people who have their own buzz, their own traction, it’s not a lot of artist development.”
The advancements in music recording technology have created a new generation of recording artists who are independent in every sector of music. Some have their own home studios, while others only need a microphone and a laptop or a phone. This has allowed artists to have more input on their own creative and distribution processes as well.
Independent acts such hip-hop artist Chance the Rapper, and singer Frank Ocean have managed to achieve great success without the use of a major record label.
Despite the damage that labels have done, Black artists continue to succeed without them. Durand Bernarr is the most recent example of this as the indie R&B star took home his first Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album.
“Because we have invented every genre since the 1920’s Black people have had a hand in influencing every single genre in the last hundred years,” said Jordan Aboderin, a third-year jazz studies major. “We invented blues, hip-hop, jazz, R&B, even country music, we as musicians will always maintain a level of excellence.”
Bernarr’s work as he first made waves in the early 2010’s has led him to succeed in this moment. With collaborations from Erykah Badu, and The Internet, Bernarr’s grammy win has shown other indie acts that they can win in this industry without a label.
“It’s the freedom that black artists have for themselves being able to create content for themselves, and it just being what they want to create,” said Tony Nelson, a fourth year Music Industry scholar who is also a rapper.
