It is obvious that the industry has shifted thanks to social media. Artists are finding that they can reach fame before signing a record deal thanks to becoming a viral sensation and the powers that be are capitalizing off of their moments. However, some music fans measure the success of a song based on how often they hear it online, meaning, if there isn’t some sort of TikTok challenge associated with it, the track is considered to be a dud.
Of course, we know that is not true, yet still, artists often find themselves facing off against critics who don’t believe that their charting or RIAA plaque-earning singles are deserving of recognition because they aren’t viral.
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On Twitter, a Lizzo fan mentioned the detractors who go after the singer over her hits, and Lizzo used the opportunity to share a few thoughts on why being viral doesn’t mean a song is good.
“I don’t think ppl know the difference between ‘bad’ music & non-viral music these days,” she said. “They equate virality w quality & that’s just not true [smiling emoji with halo] When I play this song live thousands of ppl scream the words I’m getting plaques for Rumors [money mouth emoji] Viral does NOT = successful YALL [kissy face emoji].”
Many artists have also been accused of being Tikok stars, but none have seemed to mind because the payout has stacked their bank accounts.