CANCEL CULTURE AND HOW IT AFFECTS THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

This is a very touchy subject but we all know about it and we all need to talk about it. Cancel Culture is rampant in everything that we do! So, is it a good thing or a bad thing? Well, it's definitely a lot more nuanced than that.

I think one of the worst feelings in the world is the moment you head onto Twitter and see your favorite artist trending. My first thought is always 'Uh Oh..." or if they're especially problematic you say 'Oh god what now!?'. It's hard when social media has made us feel so connected to the artists we love that we think they could do no wrong. I mean, we know everything about these people right? No, not really.

It's silly of us to think that human beings can't make mistakes. I think we often put a lot of artists and celebrities onto a pedestal and often forget that they're actual people and people make mistakes A LOT. That being said, I do believe people need to be held accountable for their negative actions especially when they know it affects a group of people and they're influencing a big population of listeners. There are things that in my book are inexcusable however, I also believe people can change and grow. Just because I think something is inexcusable doesn't mean others do. Everyone's line is different. It's a really sticky situation.

How does 'cancelling' affect the music industry? Well, as you can imagine, depending on the amount of damage an artist has done it's really hard to come back from a major cancelling. This brings up many other opinions and factors on the matter of artists and their political opinions, affiliations, cultural and racial views, etc. Should artists stray from their music and have discussions about 'turbulent' topics like this? Should they just 'stay out of it' or 'just stick to music?' and never speak or tweet of things that are considered controversial just because they are followed by a large amount of people?

I think one of the best things about art and music is that it can be political and It has the power to influence and change peoples perspectives. We have to remember that these artists are people just like the rest of us who have their own opinions and personally, I don't think its right to say that artists should just stick to their craft. They have the power to reach their fans, help important causes, and influence people for the better which many of us don't have. However, the opposite of this is they are reaching a huge amount of people and if their followers don't like what they're saying, the allegations against them or the extent to which they are saying something, they're at risk for a big, fat, cancellation!

So, obviously for an artist, its important to know your audience and when you are in the public eye constantly its harder to hide some of the negative things circling around you. That's why PR exist! To reduce the damage. If it wasn't for human error, PR people would be out of a job! I'm joking...kind of.

However, I would like to open a discussion about cancel culture because there really is no right answer for this. We can all agree it has become increasingly more prevalent with the rise of social media and the internet. We can also agree that it is something that can make or break an artists career.

So, what do you think? What's your opinion on 'Cancel Culture'? Is it negative or can it be positive? Let me know in the comments below and on socials! @theb.sidemagazine

As always, thank you so much for reading The B-Side Blog and supporting us! :)

- Bianca