The Decline of Music’s Political Voice

The main goal of music is self-expression, which is something that has constantly been echoed throughout history, including in the works belonging to musicians of the golden era of rock. For example, John Lennon’s reflections on peace and social justice. Also, like Bob Dylan and his protest anthems. Music was created to show emotion and demonstrate strong feelings. Yet, within the music industry, there has been a notable shift towards prioritizing commercial success over artist integrity. Producing music has become more about making money and less about producing a soulful song. Artists feel societal pressure to produce songs that will hit top charts from their managers and supervisors, rather than producing music they believe in. The influence of the music industry has stifled musicians, resulting in a decline of the creation and personal aspect of music as well as the creation of politically influential songs.  

The lessened autonomy of music directly stems from the music industry enforcing stricter protocols on their artists. Compared to the 1960s and 1970s, called the Golden Age of Music, artists had to sign more restrictive contracts. Signing with labels is almost 100% necessary for artists to be successful, but many of these contracts are not fair or equally as beneficial for the artist as the label.  

Not only are these contracts confusing and restricting, but many artists are young and naive, which means they are more likely to get a contract that takes advantage of them and their music. For example, LeAnn Rimes, a young country music star, had signed a contract with Curb Records at 12 years old and “might be 35 years old before she finished delivering the 21 albums, she owes the record company”, this star being one of many to this deal with the devil.  

Kevin Murray, a previous music agent states that “if you don’t sign a contract, you don’t have a career” which makes the idea of artists signing themselves to a label much more enticing, despite the strict rules and lessened personality within their music. If artists must follow certain rules or are forced to produce a certain amount of music, their concern will be less with the quality of their work but with quantity. Artists will continue to pump out superficial songs rather than taking the time and effort to make their music have meaning, even if it is simply a more personal song rather than a grand political statement.  

Artists continue to be controlled outside their contracts with their own market-driven music production choices. Artists know which songs will hit the top charts in the modern day, therefore causing them to write shallow music that does not carry any weight. This means that the need for money and fame outweighs their intrinsic motivation to write music. For example, Ed Sheeran has talked about how “It’s kind of got to a point in the music industry where everything has to be the biggest and best every time, and then better the next time.” He genuinely believes that the industry only looks for what could be the best and not what the artist or people may want.  

Similarly, artists are less likely to take any sort of political stand in their music during this modern era because of the intense “cancel culture” that follows all celebrities and artists. “Cancel culture” is a new term with the rise of excessive social media use in which celebrities are “canceled” for specific actions or overly political lyrics. and therefore, lose their media presence and following, and usually a lot of money. Because artists can be so easily “canceled” on social platforms, the idea of writing a politically or socially vulnerable piece is not as appealing as writing a guarded, easy-to-win hit. For example, Sinead O’ Connor made a lot of people upset in 1992 when she ripped up the Pope’s picture on live television. “Sinead was not getting a lot of love at the time – she was controversial,” and even with all this she decided to shock the people at SNL when she tore the picture. Causing people to turn against her even more and even “cancel” her for her political actions.  

 While one might argue that social media makes it easier for listeners to have a deeper and more personal connection to the artist and their music, online culture is so toxic that many artists are afraid to let their listeners get that close. However, artists hiding their true intentions come with a price: less impactful music that is not causing the political form it used to. According to Youth Time Magazine, artists say “One of my greatest fears as an artist is being canceled as a musician,” which makes artists more “careful” so to speak when regarding any polar stances they take, whether on their social media or within their albums.  

This brings around a general point: the lack of politically relevant and influential music contributes to a reduced effect of music on listeners’ engagement with social and political issues. While artists are stuck in their contracts and “safety nets,” people turn to social media for political ideas rather than the previously largest type of media for common people: music. Pew Research Center study highlights that a substantial portion of Americans engage in political and social activities through social media. Artists are losing their grip on listeners because of their less involved music causing people to be less engaged with today’s societal issues.  

Music is meant to be challenging and force people to think outside of their comfort zones. Hearing of political ideas through different forms of media allows people to be constantly thinking about modern-day issues from different points of view. Artists failing to produce this complex music causes people to be disengaged, indifferent, or even worse, not aware of the injustice or problem in the first place. To revive music’s role as a form of social and political activism, artists should take advantage of social media campaigns. Artists from diverse backgrounds can collaborate on projects that highlight social and political issues from a global perspective and promote this music on their many platforms available. This not only advertises their music but promotes the political reform that music once provided many. The diminishing personal and political impact of music can be attributed to the music industry’s control over the creative output of artists, leading to a reduction in the production of personal and socially influential tracks. 

References   

Anderson, M. (2018, July 11). 1. public attitudes toward political engagement on social media. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. 

Herron, I. (2022, May 25). The complicated relationship of music and cancel culture. Youth Time Magazine: News that Inspires, Updates that Matter.

Laura. (2001, September 6). Music stars complain about stringent contracts. The New York Times. 

CBS Interactive. (n.d.). Ed Sheeran says he’s breaking free from industry pressures with new album “Autumn variations”: “I don’t care what people think.” CBS News.

Guardian News and Media. (2023, July 27). “no one knew what to do”: When Sinéad O’Connor ripped up the Pope’s photo on TV – the inside story. The Guardian.