Why artists should stop mentioning their genre
And start focusing on their community and scene instead.
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Let’s dive into today’s topic:
Why artists should stop mentioning their genre
Music genres are becoming irrelevant. Artists should focus on their community and scene instead.
Why it matters
Since music is marketed, music is traditionally categorised into genres. In the past, genres were attributed to acts by the music press. Now, artists select their genre themselves in the distribution process. As artists become more fluid with their music, genres become hyper-specific, with Spotify alone boasting over 6.000 genre classifications.
Recent analyses and observations argue that this abundance of genres renders them increasingly irrelevant to fans. Instead, fans are gravitating towards music as a means of expressing their identity and other cultural identifiers. For example, identities can be formed around:
Fandom, like being a ‘Swiftie’ or a ‘Beyhiver’.
Aesthetics, such as #sadgirl.
Cities, such as the ‘London sound’ of grime, drum and bass and house music.
Clubs, like the ‘Berghain sound’.
Etcetera. Understanding that brand associations extend beyond genre is crucial for strategic growth for artists.
How it works
It is suggested that genres have been replaced by scenes driven by identity and culture. Fans now inquire whether they can resonate with an artist on a deeper level, considering factors such as:
Does the artist belong to a community I feel connected with or aspire to join?
Does the artist share similar cultural identifiers, such as language, location, ethnicity, sexuality, and gender?
Does the artist align with the clothing brands and aesthetics I like?
So, in its essence, this means that artists have two straightforward options:
Artists should join a scene.
Artists should build a scene.
It’s best to Do It Together when building brands around cultural identifiers.
Yes, but..
I’m not convinced that genres are becoming obsolete. It’s still the fundamental starting point when discussing new artists with my peers.
Take action now
Artists could write a concise, one-paragraph biography devoid of explicit genre mentions, emphasising cultural identifiers and community engagement.
Further reading
Spotify Wrapped 2023: 'Music genres are now irrelevant to fans’ (BBC News)
Identity and culture have killed genre in a scenes-driven industry (MiDIA)
Building new scenes or collectives in music - an antidote to loneliness (MUSICX)
Spotify tracks over 6,000 genres—everything from "rock" to "stomp-and-holler." Here's why that's cool. (The Pudding)