Fake News, Fake Artists And The Growing Void Of Authenticity In The Stream

Let's assume that musicbusinessworldwide.com investigation into the nefarious relationship between Spotify and Epidemic Sound is as uncouth and shady as it seems. Payola is making modern revival disguised in complexity with few seeming to grasp the implications.

The abridged theory is that the two Swedish companies are doing under-the table-deals for music content by including Epidemic Sound artists unjustly into playlists. Spotify’s motivations appear to be that they can deliver music unburdened by the inconvenience of ongoing artist royalties, and due to the Epidemic Sounds contractual ownership of their artist’s music, it would likely be to be fiscally attractive. Add that to the fact that both enterprises share a common source of VC funding, and you can join the dots yourself.

This might all be assumption and unimportant coincidence, but once you take into account the odd nature of of the stable of Epidemic Sounds artists.

The evidence stacks up in a pile of these Epidemic Sounds artists; don’t seem to perform live, don’t exist on other platforms, and are the world’s worst marketers across social media (and all other media) who have ever attempted to crack the entertainment business.

It’s very hard to imagine that their publicity department is so inept that they miss every and all chances to earn media impressions.

Except on Spotify, where they seem to be favoured, if not unfairly weighted by the curators, and in the most brutal terms....straight-up bought and paid for.

Are they fake? Maybe, maybe not. Depends on what you include under the umbrella of fake.

All indications point to global leader in music distribution is commissioning work. Just like the aristocracy commissioning artists to produce works that attempt to emulate the masters. Spotify is the Duke of Musiclandia, acting as a benefactor for the Epidemic Sounds artist collective. An organisation producing works that you’d usually find in third-rate galleries of period pieces created by nonames and their apprentices. Counterfeits being passed off as genuine articles with as much clout and reverence.

You can tell that this is a PR problem only beginning to erupt due to the astroturfing popping up here and there.

Subscribers are paying the admittance into The Louvre, but are being led down corridors increasingly curated with forgeries and frauds. 

*This opinion piece does not represent the beliefs of Vocalizr or it's employees.