Earlier this week, British singer and producer James Blake made waves with his comments about the music industry. He took aim at the lack of proper pay for artists and the numerous labels and companies profiting from the work of artists. Now artists like Kanye West and Tyler, The Creator are weighing in. “If we want quality music somebody is gonna have to pay for it. Streaming services don’t pay properly, labels want a bigger cut than ever and just sit and wait for you to go viral, TikTok doesn’t pay properly, and touring is getting prohibitively expensive for most artists. The brainwashing worked and now people think music is free," his original statement read.
He expanded even further with more comments. “I really love music. I will continue to use my social media but only to connect with you guys. Music is my life’s purpose and I will not have mine destroyed by a bunch of labels and tech companies who don’t even pay us and exploit us relentlessly. Remember when my cover of ‘Godspeed’ went viral? Neither me nor Frank ever made a cent cause it was an ‘original sound’ in every video," his additional comments read. Both Kanye and Tyler, The Creator shared posts of Blake's comments to social media with Tyler in particular posting it to his Instagram story with the caption "talk ya sh*t." Check out Blake's follow-up Instagram post below.
Kanye West And Tyler, The Creator Cosign James Blake Comments
Metro Boomin specifically cosigned Blake's criticisms of TIkTok and sped up or slowed down versions of songs. Other rap artists and producers like Vic Mensa and The Alchemist as well as R&B singer Blood Orange and jazz group BADBADNOTGOOD agreed with his takes.
James Blake has crossed over into hip hop numerous times before. Most recently, he worked with Erick The Architect on a single from the Flatbush Zombies rapper's new album. Last year Blake released his 6th studio album Playing Robots Into Heaven. What do you think of James Blake's comments about who gets money in the music industry? Why do you think so many other prominent musicians agree with his takes? Let us know in the comment section below.
[Via]