DeepSummary
In this episode of the podcast 'Lately', host Vass Bednar and executive producer Katrina Onstedt discuss the changing landscape of the music industry with their guest, Polaris Prize-winning artist and producer Cadence Weapon (Rolly Pemberton). They delve into the challenges faced by artists in the era of streaming platforms, monopolistic practices by companies like Ticketmaster, and the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the industry.
Cadence Weapon shares his experiences as an artist navigating the complexities of the modern music industry, including the diminishing returns from streaming services, the throttling of reach on social media platforms, and the practice of venues taking a cut from artists' merchandise sales. He also expresses his skepticism towards AI's ability to replicate the human essence of art and music.
The conversation touches on various topics, such as the potential for legislative interventions like the Online Streaming Act to support artists, the disconnect between Canadian music culture and mainstream recognition, and the importance of fan support through direct purchases and word-of-mouth promotion.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- The modern music industry poses significant challenges for artists, including diminishing returns from streaming platforms, algorithmic curation, and social media suppression.
- Ticketmaster's monopolistic practices and venue policies like merchandise cuts further contribute to the financial strain on musicians.
- Artificial intelligence poses a potential threat to artists, as tech companies explore ways to generate content without human creators.
- Legislative efforts like the Online Streaming Act aim to support artists and protect cultural industries, but their effectiveness remains uncertain.
- There is a disconnect between Canada's rich musical diversity and its mainstream cultural recognition, with untapped potential for greater celebration and support.
- Direct fan support through merchandise purchases, advance ticket sales, and word-of-mouth promotion is crucial for sustaining artists in the current industry landscape.
- Artists like Cadence Weapon advocate for industry reform and greater transparency to address the exploitation and undervaluation of music and art.
- The human essence and creativity behind art and music are difficult to replicate through artificial intelligence, according to skeptics like Cadence Weapon.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “I feel like often that we're just employees for these tech companies. Like, I work for Instagram, and it's like I've got to clock in every day and make my scheduled amount of posts to create revenue for this corporation.“ by Cadence Weapon
- “And the thing that I always compare it to is when you go to shoppers drug Mart and there's the kiosk, they want to do that to musicians. They want to turn it into the kiosk so they can get rid of.“ by Cadence Weapon
- “Like, when you go to England, this is the crazy thing. You go to London, you get into a cab, you turn on the radio, and you're hearing people live mixing electronic music live on the radio. You're hearing people rapping and doing grime battle on the radio. And this is something that. It's thrilling to me, and it's so exciting and so vital, and it's a part of the culture there for decades, and it's something that we could have here, but we haven't even started. We haven't even, like, scratched the surface on really tapping into what we really have here in Canada.“ by Cadence Weapon
- “I think one of the best ways is to buy merch, buy an album, buy a shirt from an artist directly, because it ends up being equivalent to thousands of streams just buying one shirt. Buy advance tickets to shows, because it really sends a positive signal to promoters.“ by Cadence Weapon
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Episode Information
The Decibel
The Globe and Mail
6/21/24