Over-commercialization of the Music Industry

Over-commercialization of the Music Industry
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The music industry makes for one of the ancient arts industries transcending over the civilizations and revolutions witnessed in the history of humanity. It makes for an essential aspect of society characterized by its wide range of roles in shaping and defining the social, political, economic, and cultural societal dimensions. The industry accounts for ingenious creations of diverse genres of art, with each equally playing unique roles across the outlined dimensions of society. The industry thrives on the various music compositions across the different societies and their consumption by the masses. Musical artists or musicians around the world play the central role in delivering musical contents for the different genres. The diverse tastes and preferences of consumers for the different music genres also make for an integral factor in the growth and development of the industry over the years. The production of music and its mode of supply to listeners or consumers makes for the other key elements of the music industry. Accosting the outlined elements of the music industry are various transitions accounting for its evolution to the conversion of music into a commercial product. The commercialization of music accounts for significant changes in the industry, eliciting diverse views and opinions on the impacts of the industry’s commercial evolution. The production and distribution of music for maximum profits is characteristic of increased competition in the music industry promoting its over-commercialization. The new trend attracts commendation from the industry's key stakeholders, claiming increased revenue generation for artists or musicians from the broader consumer base developed through increased commercialization. However, a critical evaluation of the increased commercialization reveals a contrasting view highlighting its adverse impacts on the music industry. The negative social, cultural, political, and economic implications of increased commercialization of the music industry outweigh the perceived financial opportunities it creates for the musicians and the widespread supply of their productions.
The quest for maximum generation of profits from the music industry accounts for increased competition among the corporate organizations or entities investing in the production and distribution of music. These corporations thrive on the advancing telecommunications technologies to overcome the geographical barriers and establish global networks to control the production and distribution of music across diverse societies around the world. Multinational corporations such as Sony and BMG, for instance, enjoy large market shares in the increasingly lucrative industry. These multinational corporations in the music industry have enhanced the distribution of diverse music styles from different cultural backgrounds, thus aiding in the cultural globalization of music as an essential aspect of society. Pop and rock music from Western countries, for instance, easily find their way into other parts of the world. The West can also sample music productions from other artists in the developing world, thus encouraging cultural awareness and tolerance. In essence, increased commercialization of the music industry correlates to widespread cross-cultural musical content consumption and thus enhances cultural globalization. The subsequent broader consumer base for music further reflects increased revenue generation for multinational corporations producing and distributing the music while generating substantial financial profits for artists. It accounts for increased opportunities for the generation of wealth among musicians, who benefit from the different endorsements sourced by the multinational corporations with which they record their content. Among the endorsements received by artists from multinational corporations include the use of successful music records in the film industry as either instrumentals or soundtracks for film production. Hence, increased commercialization of music creates multiple opportunities for artists to maximize their profits from music production through the diverse channels of consumption created by the for-profit approach to music production and distribution.[McKay, C. 2000. "The Global Corporatization of Music." Course Paper 1-8.] [McKay, C. 2000. "The Global Corporatization of Music." Course Paper 1-8.] [Williamson, J., & Cloonan, M. 2007. "Rethinking the Music Industry." Popular Music 305-322.]
Despite the wide range of merits accrued to increase the commercialization of the music industry, it plays an often overlooked role in consolidating the power of music production and distribution to multinational corporations. The for-profit maximization approach to music production and distribution results in increased competition among such entities who focus on protecting and furthering their financial interests through artists and their music. The quest to maximize profits further accounts for the widespread clamor by recording companies to control all the production and distribution factors to consumers. Such entities, for instance, tend to expand their investments into the media industry and other mainstream channels for music consumption through mergers to increase their revenue base. The subsequent power and control over the production and distribution of music led to the subjugation of artists by the multinational recording labels, establishing themselves as the platforms for achieving global success in the music industry. The rise of multinational corporations in the music industry through consolidation of power and control over music production and distribution leads to subjugation of artists. It oppresses the local recording entities across different countries worldwide. These multinational corporations arising from increased commercialization of the music industry exert dominance over the local recording companies, thus hindering the latter's sustainable growth and development, especially in developing countries. The global music production and distribution companies often buy up the local recording companies in the developing world and further consolidating their power and control over the music industry. An article by Cory Mckay states that it is easier for consumers in other countries to buy Western music than it is for those in the West to buy music from other countries. Such is the aftermath of the dominance of the global recording labels through increased commercialization of music production and distribution. Consequently, the local music industries of such countries fail to meet their growth and development objectives as they face unfair competition from the global giants. In essence, increased commercialization of the music industry creates unfair competition to the local recording companies in the developing countries while also denying artists the freedom to choose their preferred recording labels.[Kerrie Bridson, Jody Evans, Rohit Varman, Michael Volkov, Sean McDonald. 2017. "Questioning worth: selling out in the music industry." European Journal of Marketing 1650-1668.] [McKay, C. 2000. "The Global Corporatization of Music." Course Paper 1-8.] [McKay, C. 2000. "The Global Corporatization of Music." Course Paper 1-8.]
The fact that increased commercialization of the music industry is a function of few multinational corporations ...