photo credit: Taylor Guzek
Sombr, Addison Rae and Gracie Abrams: these are all names we think we know. But their journey to fame may not have been as difficult as we thought. All these people have one thing in common: the accusation of being an industry plant.
According to Complex, an industry plant is someone who becomes popular based on connections in the industry rather than real talent or hard work. Not to say that artists labeled as industry plants don’t have talent, in fact, lots of industry plants have a good amount of real talent.
Industry plants can make the entertainment industry more artificial, less personal and watered down, according to The Able Show. And honestly, this makes sense. No one would like to find out that one of their favorite artists was just set up to become popular.
According to Miscellany News, Sombr, an artist that many of us have at least seen on social media, is a great example of an industry plant. However, Miscellany defended the artist and said positive things about his album, like the quality of production and his vocal talents. Something that kinda proves the industry plant accusation though is the songwriting, which can seem shallow sometimes.
Identifying Sombr as an industry plant is a rather harsh judgment on the young star. We, as a staff, actually enjoy lots of his songs, some of our favorites are “Undressed” or “Back to Friends”. His debut, and only album, “I Barely Know Her” came out on Aug. 22, according to Variety.
Many popular artists have been accused of being industry plants. According to Bleu Magazine, Jack Harlow, Cardi B, Ice Spice and many more have been called out. While some of the accusations that have been thrown around recently are true, a big amount of them are not.
One of the recent problems though, according to Complex, is that the term has become overused and doesn’t carry much meaning anymore. People will call out any artists who got popular quickly and claim them as an industry plant even if it’s not necessarily true. Also, people will call an artist an industry plant without even really knowing their background or how they became so popular.
We, as a staff, agree with this. People are saying that too many new artists, especially the young ones, are industry plants when that’s not even true. Lots of artists have to work super hard to get to where they are now, and it invalidates not only their success but also all the hard work they have put into their careers.
Something that has not helped with the recent explosion of the term is social media. While the idea of industry plants is not a new thing, social media can make us more hyper-aware of the media we are consuming, according to Talent Resources. Additionally, when we are a part of a creator’s success, we become a part of their fanbase, which makes it all the more disappointing when the realization hits that their fame was set up. The setting up of industry plants affects more than just individual artists, it negatively affects the industry as a whole.
Not only do industry plants make the industry less personal, but it’s also just not fair to those who don’t have all the same connections. Not everyone is born with a famous last name, and those who don’t have to do much harder to make it.
Industry plants have access to multiple opportunities that other people don’t. These extra opportunities can really make a difference in the careers of rising artists and how long it takes them to reach their goals and become successful.
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