Your Choice of Music Is An Illusion

Jay Woodson, organizer of National Hip Hop Political Convention (NHHPC), said it best : "What our options are in this political economy are options for profit, which benefits large corporations. This includes the entertainment industry". America is the master of illusion. Last week I explained how hip hop artists with a message gets over looked by major corporations and record labels for artists who discuss topics such as drugs, violence, misogyny and destruction. For those who primarily consume large doses of corporate media may find what this article reveals to be shocking.

The shocking truth is that big business control the types of music and artist that get exposure and become popular in our society. The Music industry is a $14 billion dollar business. There are 5 major record labels; Sony, Universal, BMG, EMI and Time Warner whom dominates 85 % of the market. Since 2012 the "Big Three" record labels include Sony, Warner, and Universal Music Group. They control the artist and set what percentage of the sale they keep. Since they are already a monopoly they try to keep competition between them at a bare minimum.

There was a time when radio companies could only own up to 40 stations nationwide and only four in a particular market. Then the Telecommunications Act of 1996 came and now Clear Channel, a large radio company, owns 1,170 radio stations nationwide! A lot of larger media bought up smaller markets and it has narrowed the choices for smaller media to have access to cable programming or local radio stations.

This amount of control over the Industry makes it almost impossible for underground artist to get exposed to the masses, which is what the Industry likes. It's no coincidence that big name rappers who are known throughout the world are sponsored by the biggest corporations in the world. These type of rappers promote business agenda's for the music industry where advertisements and propaganda takes over young minds. The majority of rappers are used by major labels to sell propaganda. Singer Cee-Lo Green had said " At one point in time, there was a code of conduct: creed and credential...hip hop was once an Ivy League institution, and now it's become a community college--you don't need qualifications to come on in".

Corporate America has infiltrated and corrupted Hip Hop for their own personal gains. They took the truth out of hip hop to keep the truth out of the youth. If you have a nation that is focused on topics that does not matter, it leaves room for the corporate to operate how they please. It gives them ample enough room to make money in all area, not just music. If you find this information to be unconvincing, be sure to stop by next week. I will give examples of artists who have benefited from this system and artists who have nearly been literally destroyed by this system. Love and Peace.