James Blake criticises modern music industry: “The brainwashing worked”
James Blake has explained his issues with the music industry. His criticisms include problems with TikTok and streaming platforms, who he says “don’t pay properly”.
The multi-instrumentalist, whose last album Playing Robots into Heaven arrived in 2023, took to X to shed light on the financial aspect of his craft. Drawing from personal experience, Blake initially responded to a quote attributed to him his cover of Frank Ocean’s ‘Godspeed’ going viral on TikTok and not earning “a cent” from the success. He also claimed Ocean didn’t receive payment.
Elaborating on the situation, Blake added: “It’s worth noting this is just an example I used in a post talking about the wider effect of TikTok on music. Just seeing this part makes it seem navel gazing but I’m speaking on a thing that’s affecting artists all over the world.”
Blake continued: “Something I keep seeing is ‘if you’re lucky enough to go viral, just use the exposure to generate income some other way’. Musicians should be able to generate income via their music. Do you want good music or do you want what you paid for?”
The English musician then claimed the major issue with the music industry stems from consumers believing they no longer have to pay for art, stating: “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.”
In another post, he wrote: “The brainwashing worked and now people think music is free.”
Blake also shared his fears about artificial intelligence in the music industry, which he believes will only become more prominent, asserting: “Since it’s cheaper to produce fast, synthetic music to drop on streaming every week to capitalize on the strengths of the model, watch how the model is preparing you for AI generated music that pays musicians nothing at all.”
His comments come shortly after Slow Horses director James Hawes warned that he expects an AI-generated TV show to be on the horizon within the next few years. Hawes speculated: “Maybe it won’t be as polished as we are used to but that is how close we are getting. My worry is that if we don’t get up to speed with this then the AI-generated stories will come from elsewhere.”
Meanwhile, in a three-star review of Blake’s last album, Playing Robots Into Heaven, Far Out wrote: “Despite its broader innovative appeal, Playing Robots Into Heaven occasionally veers into a deliberately undefined direction that may come across as somewhat distant. However, the moments of clarity and strength within the album undeniably affirm Blake’s standing as a pioneering artist in the field.”
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.