25 Unsettling Facts About The Music Industry

January 29, 2019 | Sammy Tran

25 Unsettling Facts About The Music Industry


Who among us hasn’t dreamed of becoming a rock star? The wild parties. The adoring fans. The heaps and heaps of money. It sounds like a pretty sweet life. And while it’s true the record industry doesn’t bring in the kind of money it used to, rumors of its death have been greatly exaggerated. But don’t trade your car for a guitar just yet, there are still a few things you should know before chasing your rock n roll dreams. Here are 25 deeply unsettling facts about the music industry.


25. The Buyer’s Market

Of course, those numbers presume you sell anything at all. There were more than 8 million songs released in 2011–that’s a lot of music! With so much music to choose from, you could easily get lost in the shuffle (no pun intended). Of those 8 million songs, only about 1% sold more than 1,000 copies.

Music Industry facts The Daily Beast

24. Payola

One sure way to get your music in high rotation is to pay the deejay to play it. “Payola” was a common, though illegal, practice in the 1950s, when a popular deejay could make or break an artist’s career. Legendary deejays Alan Freed, Phil Lind, and even Dick Clark were embroiled in payola scandals.

Music Industry facts Hypebot

23. Not Going Away-ola

Although congressional hearings in the late 50s led to a crackdown on payola, the practice continues to this day. In 2006, the three biggest record groups—Universal, Sony BMG, and Warner—all agreed to pay millions in fines for payola schemes.

Music Industry factsNoisey - Vice

22. The Loophole

Other “independent” groups have found a way around illegal payola by buying sponsored airtime on radio stations. Spotify’s Sponsored Songs is an example of this in the streaming world. It’s technically legal, but still sneaky.

Music Industry factsBillboard

21. Criminal Records 

In Latin America, drug traffickers have used the music industry as a money-laundering scheme. Unknown artists will suddenly gain major promotion on radio stations or at concert venues and then just as suddenly disappear off the radar. So much money changes hands so quickly, it is hard to figure out where it all came from, or where it all goes.

Music Industry facts

20. Got Beef?

Fans are loyal, and when someone disses their favorite artist, you can bet they’re going to show their support by buying concert tickets and records. Think of how many records were sold because of the rivalry between Tupac and Biggie back in the 90s. Industry executives have noticed the tribalism inherent in fandom, too: many beefs are concocted by music executives, and fall suspiciously close to album releases.

Music Industry factsThe United States of Nerd

19. Priceless Pals

What does a loyal Twitter follower cost? Some publicists have paid as much as $1,350 for 1,000,000 fake accounts.

Music Industry factsYoutube

18. Fairweather Friends

Want loyalty? Get a dog, ’cause you won’t find any in the music industry. Take Mariah Carey for example. The megastar signed a four-album contract with Virgin Records, but was unceremoniously dropped when her album, Glitter, sold a “measly” half-a-million copies. Carey received a relatively small buyout, but this was nothing compared to the nervous breakdown she suffered after the event.

Music Industry factsPinterest

17. Breaking the Bank

Up to 95% of all music consumed in the US is downloaded illegally. This is bad news for the music industry, obviously, but it’s also bad news the US economy: the reduction in sales means a loss of $12.5 billion in revenue for the American government.

Music Industry factsWallDevil

16. Golden Oldies

Nothing hurts new music like nostalgia. In the 1980s, 40% of CD sales were made up of older folks rebuying their favorite records in the new format. So while The Beatles were probably still making bank, new artists struggled.

Music Industry factsYoutube

15. Pay to Play

For those artists who don’t have label support or managers looking out for them, it can be hard to navigate the realities of booking gigs. Some fall prey to pay-to-play scams: venues will charge artists to perform as the opening act for a bigger artist, or if there is a label rep in the house. A lucky few might get their big break, but it’s better to remember you can’t buy groceries with exposure.

Music Industry factsThe Balance

14. The Big Three

Virtually all the music you hear on TV and radio is released by three giant corporations: Universal, Sony BMG, and Warner Music Group. They cover more than 90% of the market.

Music Industry facts

13. Stranglehold

Of the 38 weekly top-selling albums of 2017, all but two were released by one of the Big Three or their subsidiaries.

Music Industry factsFunkatopia

12. Live Fast, Die Young

That rock n roll lifestyle can take a toll. According to one Australian study, the lifespan of a musician might be lower than the average by 25 years. This lower lifespan includes increased chances of accident and murder.

Music Industry factsRhone Runner

11. The 27 Club

That low average is due, in no small part, to the 27 Club. Music fans have noticed the eerie frequency with which music stars die at the age of 27, a tradition that seems to begin all the way back in the 1930s with blues guitarist Robert Johnson (it might even start as early as 1892 if you're an Alexandre Levy fan). Other members of the club include Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Kurt Cobain.

Music Industry factsHuffington Post

10. Sad, Sad Songs

One recent survey showed that, in the UK at least, people working in the music industry were three times more likely to suffer from depression than people in other industries.

Music Industry factsBillboard

9. The Boys in the Band

The music industry can be even tougher to break into if you are a woman. According to a recent survey, almost 88% of credited songwriters and 83% of musicians in the recording industry are men. Of the 12% of songwriters who are women, only 26% have worked more than once in the last six years.

Music Industry factsThe balance

4. Producing Sexism

The gender gap gets even wider when you look at producers: just 2% of credited producers in 2017 were women. In fact, less than 4% of the producer’s guild is female.

Music Industry factsMelodic Exchange

8. Rampant Sexual Harassment

The absence of women in positions of power undoubtedly contributes to a culture of sexism in the music industry. High-powered figures like Dr. Luke, Russell Simmons, and R. Kelly have been accused of sexual harassment.

Music Industry factsBet

7. Kesha v. Dr. Luke

In 2014, pop star Kesha levelled charges at her producer, Dr. Luke, alleging that he had sexually assaulted and abused her for years. Not only did the judge rule against Kesha’s allegations, the judge also found her suit insufficient to release her from her contract. Essentially, Kesha would either have to continue to release music on Dr. Luke’s label, or not release music at all.

Music Industry factsBillboard

6. Reluctant Release

Artists, male and female, rallied around Kesha, describing the situation as an example of courts siding with corporations over people. Others pointed out that the judge in the case was married to a representative of Sony Music Group, the parent company of Dr. Luke’s Kemosabe Records. Kesha shied away from the spotlight and didn’t release any new music until 2017. When she returned with a new album in 2017, the album was released on Kemosabe Records.

Music Industry factsVanity Fair

5. That Stinks!

Not even Beyoncé can eke out a living through music alone. She makes more money from her perfume sales than her album sales.

Music Industry facts

4. Making Ends Meet

If you’ve got big dreams of striking it rich in the music industry, think again. 63% of album and download sales go to the label, and another 23% to the distributors. By the time the lawyers, publishers, producers, and managers get their cut, the average musician sees just 2.3% of the profit.

Music Industry facts Jon Gomm

3. Guess He Was a Scrub

In 1994, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes of TLC got into an argument with her abusive, NFL player boyfriend, Andre Rison, over how many sneakers he bought for himself. Lopes ended up setting fire to a pair of the shoes in the bathtub, but ended up burning Rison's entire house down. She was arrested for felony arson, and had to pay a $10,000 dollar fine on top of five years probation.

Scandalous Music Industry FactsThe Kona Gallery

2. Fake Fans

When an artist can’t win friends through talent and personality, the industry will gladly buy them. Even successful artists resort to this tactic: one artist (we won’t say who, but it sounds like Maty Schmerry) has 83 million followers on Twitter, but only 35% of them are real people.

Music Industry factsBeheading Boredom

1. We Talkin' About Practice!

The classic riff at the beginning of "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Guns N' Roses began as a simple string skipping practice exercise Slash would do. As he was playing it, the rest of the band started playing along in what was just meant to be a jam session, but Axl Rose heard them playing in the other room and began writing lyrics to it. The song would become one of their biggest hits, but Slash always resented it, saying "[The song] turned into a huge hit and now it makes me sick. I mean, I like it, but I hate what it represents."

Scandalous Music Industry FactsAlternative Nation

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 1415


More from Factinate

Featured Article

My mom never told me how her best friend died. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery.

Dark Family Secrets

Dark Family Secrets Exposed

Nothing stays hidden forever—and these dark family secrets are proof that when the truth comes out, it can range from devastating to utterly chilling.
April 8, 2020 Samantha Henman

Featured Article

Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark history—or the chilling secret shared by her and Louis.

Madame de Pompadour Facts

Entrancing Facts About Madame de Pompadour, France's Most Powerful Mistress

Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark history—or the chilling secret shared by her and Louis.
December 7, 2018 Kyle Climans

More from Factinate

Featured Article

I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. I knew that she was going to take it badly, but I had no idea about the insane lengths she would go to just to get revenge and mess with my life.

These People Got Genius Revenges

When someone really pushes our buttons, we'd like to think that we'd hold our head high and turn the other cheek, but revenge is so, so sweet.
April 22, 2020 Scott Mazza

Featured Article

Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIII’s rejected queen—but few people know her even darker history.

Catherine of Aragon Facts

Tragic Facts About Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s First Wife

Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIII’s rejected queen—but very few people know her even darker history.
June 7, 2018 Christine Tran



Dear reader,


Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? We’re always looking for your input! Please reach out to us to let us know what you’re interested in reading. Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from “Life” to “Compact Cars and Trucks” to “A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius.” We’ll get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics you’re interested in. Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. Thanks for your time!


Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? At Factinate, we’re dedicated to getting things right. Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. We want our readers to trust us. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. Please let us know if a fact we’ve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect it’s inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. Thanks for your help!


Warmest regards,



The Factinate team




Want to learn something new every day?

Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter.

Thank you!

Error, please try again.