The use of the term "industry plant" online to describe American singer Clairo (pictured) in 2017 brought it to more widespread use.

Industry plant is a pejorative used to describe musicians who ostensibly become popular through their connections to the music industry yet present themselves as independent and self-made. Artists described as industry plants are also often alleged to have their public images manufactured for them by record executives. The term originated in the early 2010s on hip hop-focused message boards to describe various rappers before being used against indie rock and pop musicians, such as Clairo and Billie Eilish, in the late 2010s. It has been called a conspiracy theory by critics and criticized in the media and by artists for being disproprotionately used against female artists and a form of misogyny, for placing scrutiny on individual musicians rather than the music industry as a whole, and for its variable meaning, or lack thereof, depending on who is using it.

Usage

The term "industry plant" commonly refers to musicians who quickly find success, regardless of skill or merit, and purportedly describe themselves as self-made and independent despite being heavily supported by a record label or having other resources and connections to the music industry that they intentionally hide, while also being more focused on business than on artistic expression.[1][2][3][4] It is typically used as a pejorative by music fans, largely of Generation Z, against artists who they believe to be undeserving of their fame or success.[5][6][7][8] For Gigwise, Adam England wrote, "If you're young, talented and — all too often — female, you'll probably have the usual 'industry plant' allegations levelled at you."[9] Artists who are called industry plants are sometimes alleged to have had their personas manufactured by marketing executives before being marketed to the public.[10][11] It has been compared to the idea of "selling out".[8] Josh Terry of Vice wrote that the term had "no adequate definition" and that there was "no consensus at all on what an 'industry plant' actually is".[12]

History

American rapper Raury (pictured) was widely accused of being an industry plant online in 2015; in response, he wore a shirt reading "industry plant" on the cover of XXL's Freshman Class issue in 2015.

The term "industry plant" is believed to have originated on hip hop message boards in the early 2010s, gaining popularity after being used in a thread on the discussion forum KanyeToThe in 2012, in which rappers such as Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, and Waka Flocka Flame were alleged by users to be industry plants.[10] American singer Lana Del Rey has retroactively been described as an early example of being accused of being an industry plant when, in 2012, upon the release of her debut studio album Born to Die, her wealthy parents and her previous musical career as Lizzy Grant led to questions about her authenticity as an artist.[13] After American rapper Raury released his mixtape, Indigo Child, in 2014, was quickly signed to Columbia Records, and received coverage from Billboard for the music video for his song "God's Whisper", he was frequently called an industry plant online in 2015.[14][15] He appeared on the cover of XXL for their annual Freshman Class list of up-and-coming artists in 2015, where he wore a shirt reading "industry plant" in response to the accusations.[16] Christina Lee of Vice wrote in 2015 that "recent talk of Raury being an industry plant" was "silly" but "makes some sense", while Chris Thomas of Out called Raury "a popular target of industry plant conspiracy theorists" in 2017.[17][18] Chance the Rapper faced similar accusations of being an industry plant on music forums by 2015 due to his sudden success after independently releasing several mixtapes.[16][19] In 2017, Rawiya Kameir of The Outline wrote, "An 'industry plant' is one of the worst things you can call an artist nowadays."[20][21]

American singer Billie Eilish (pictured) became a frequent topic of industry plant discussions on Reddit and YouTube by 2018, with Reddit users alleging her personality to have been "manufactured".

The term "industry plant" later became popular among "Extremely Online" indie-rock fans and was often levelled against female musicians. The increase in industry plant rumors in the late 2010s has been attributed by critics to the rise of music streaming.[8][5] Clairo, who quickly rose to fame after her song "Pretty Girl" went viral online in 2017, was described by Leor Galil of the Chicago Reader as "a magnet for 'industry plant' insults" since 2017, when Reddit threads about her father working as the chief marketing officer of Converse and co-founding its Rubber Tracks recording studio before she became popular led to accusations of her being an industry plant.[8][22] Other users alleged that her "homespun" image was also created by her father and his associates, and the usage of the term to describe her led to the term gaining more widespread usage.[23][24] After gaining fame from her song "Bury a Friend" in 2018, American singer Billie Eilish was also frequently called an industry plant online on YouTube and Reddit, where users similarly made threads about her personality being manufactured.[25][26][27] A video by the YouTube channel Progress about the singer Baby Goth, who had performed pop music under the name Bria Bueno until being signed to Republic Records, being an industry plant went viral after being uploaded in January 2019. Puerto Rican rapper Iann Dior named his debut studio album, Industry Plant (2020), after his being called an industry plant due to his quick rise to fame.[28] Also in 2020, American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers responded to accusations that she was an industry plant, including a music critic who tweeted that they were "on team 'Phoebe Bridgers is an industry plant'", by stating that The Strokes and "every white boy who is mediocre" were industry plants as well and calling it "such an insane fucking double standard".[29][30][19]

Elle Palmer of Far Out wrote that the term "snowballed in popularity" by the early 2020s and had become "rampant" by 2023.[24] The American pop punk band Tramp Stamps were widely criticized by social media users as industry plants in April 2021, particularly on TikTok, due to their previous solo careers as pop singers and how their image had changed and become "calculated" and "polished" upon starting the band.[12][4] Reddit users also found that the band's guitarist, Caroline Baker, was signed to record producer Dr. Luke's publishing house Prescription Songs, which furthered the accusations.[2] In response, Rebecca Jennings of Vox wrote that "being an 'industry plant' is about the worst thing you can be accused of on TikTok".[4] In June 2021, American singer H.E.R. responded to claims that she was an industry plant on Instagram.[31] Following the international success of American singer Olivia Rodrigo's debut single "Drivers License" in 2021, music journalists and critics debated on whether or not she was an industry plant.[3] Podcaster DJ Akademiks has frequently discussed the concept of industry plants, including his calling American rapper Megan Thee Stallion one in June 2021 and claiming that her success in the music industry was due to her being shot by rapper Tory Lanez the year before.[8][32]

British indie rock acts like Wet Leg (top) and The Last Dinner Party (bottom) faced accusations on social media of being industry plants in the 2020s.

The British indie rock duo Wet Leg became frequent targets of industry plant accusations after their rise to prominence in 2021, which they described as "just misogyny".[24][33][34] American singer Gayle's song "ABCDEFU" became internationally successful by early 2022 after initially finding success on TikTok, where she premiered the song in response to a commenter asking her to "write a breakup song using the alphabet". Commenters on the platform alleged that she was an industry plant upon discovering that the comment prompting the song was left by an Atlantic Records marketing manager.[35][36] After the success of their debut single, "Nothing Matters", in April 2023, the British indie rock band The Last Dinner Party were widely accused by social media users, including on Twitter, of being industry plants due to their being signed to Island Records and opening for the Rolling Stones, among other things.[37][38] The group responded to the accusations on Twitter, calling them "just a nasty lie".[39] In June 2023, the indie rock band Picture Parlour released their debut single "Norwegian Wood" and were featured on the cover of NME, leading to users on Twitter widely accusing them of being industry plants.[40][41] The band's singer, Katherine Parlour, said in response to the accusations that they "seem[ed] like lazy journalism" and that there was "a predominant history of male-fronted bands ... who have happened to gain a large buzz pretty quickly" and not "one that has been questioned".[42] After his song "Rich Men North of Richmond" went viral and became popular among American conservatives in August 2023, American singer Oliver Anthony was suspected of being an industry plant by American progressives.[43][44] Also in August 2023, the hardcore punk band Scowl were alleged by fans to be industry plants, which prompted frontwoman Kat Moss to release a statement on Twitter denying and decrying the claims.[45][46] American rapper Ice Spice was accused of being an industry plant after she shot to stardom following the release of her song "Munch (Feelin' U)", which went viral on TikTok, in 2022.[47][48] She stated in response to the accusations that she would "let people believe whatever they want to believe" in an interview with Variety in September 2023.[49]

The term has also been used online and by critics to describe artists such as Greta Van Fleet,[50][51] Raury,[52] Dominic Fike,[11][53] Jean Dawson,[54] CJ,[55] Bebe Rexha,[56] Boy Pablo,[57] RMR,[58][59] Bella Poarch,[60][61] The Kid Laroi,[62] Skip Marley,[20] Your Old Droog,[63] Post Malone, and Lizzo.[64]

Criticism

Claims of artists being industry plants have been described as a form of conspiracy theory by critics.[8][48][65] In 2023, Complex's Trace William Cowen called industry plant accusations "among the dumbest quasi-theories some listeners like to throw around whenever a new artist breaks through" and "not usually worth a response".[66] For Jezebel, Hazel Cills wrote that "the term often means nearly whatever the critic in question wants it to mean", that it "emphasiz[ed] a narrative that suggests popular artists are either authentic or totally fake, working without any outside help or label puppets, when in reality the lines are depressingly blurrier", and that it was especially used to deride women artists.[64]

Josh Terry of Vice criticized the term "industry plant" as meaningless and wrote that it was "disproportionately directed at non-white, non-male-identifying artists" and "blam[ed] artists for the machinations of a system beyond their control".[12] Kyann-Sian Williams of NME also stated that it was "often assigned to non-white, non-male success stories", while Far Out's Elle Palmer wrote that it "seems to be disproportionately thrown at successful young women starting out in the industry, and often with very little research to back up the damaging label" and was "an easy way to dismiss the talent of young women".[67][24] Under the Radar's Andy Von Pip wrote that the term was "a crass and often deeply misogynistic attempt to undermine [the] credibility and creativity" of female artists.[68] For Vox, Rebecca Jennings wrote that the term could be used to describe "pretty much everyone that has gotten famous from TikTok", adding that the criticism of Tramp Stamps in 2021 as industry plants became "a complete dogpile on three individual women rather than corporatized capitalization on progressive politics".[4] NPR's Hazel Cills stated that industry plants "don't really exist" and that the term "keeps getting thrown around by younger audiences" because of changes in the music industry and "a kind of skepticism when a young person sees an artist and they're not already inundated with their body of work".[69]

Nick Ruskell of The Daily Telegraph wrote that the music industry was "far more to blame" for artists with less connections not finding success "than individual artists trying to play the game".[19] Aimee Cliff of Dazed wrote that the industry plant accusations against Clairo in 2018 were based on "the strange assumption that a middle-aged man could better engineer a viral success than a teenage girl".[70] For Clash, Robin Murray wrote that the term was "hopelessly vague, and more a criticism of opaque marketing, and a general, undefinable sense of inauthenticity, than any actual intersection with the music" and compared it to "old rockist thinking".[71]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Branigin, Anne (20 August 2023). "Oliver Anthony and the 'mainstreaming' of conspiracy theories". Washington Post. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  2. 1 2 Shaffer, Claire (15 April 2021). "Queer Punk Band With Ties to Dr. Luke Sparks Backlash on TikTok". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  3. 1 2 Clark, Emma (14 June 2021). "Olivia Rodrigo: Is she an industry plant and does it matter?". Newshub. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Jennings, Rebecca (20 April 2021). "How a pop-punk girl group became the most hated band on TikTok". Vox. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  5. 1 2 Manno, Lizzie (18 December 2019). "Charli XCX's I'm With The Band on Netflix Is Heartwarming Despite Its Relative Fakeness". Paste. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  6. ↑ Taysom, Joe (18 December 2021). "Charting the meteoric rise of Billie Eilish". Far Out. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  7. ↑ Coscarelli, Joe (23 May 2018). "Clairo's 'Pretty Girl' Went Viral. Then She Had to Prove Herself". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Galil, Leor (15 March 2019). "How did the 'industry plant' take root?". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  9. ↑ England, Adam (16 July 2021). "Album Review: Clairo - Sling". Gigwise. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  10. 1 2 Rindner, Grant (31 March 2020). "What Is an Industry Plant?". Pigeons & Planes. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  11. 1 2 Coscarelli, Joe (8 April 2021). "'Are You Up on Dominic Fike Yet?'". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 Terry, Josh (23 April 2021). "Stop Calling Artists 'Industry Plants'". Vice. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  13. ↑ Jones, Nate (25 March 2021). "Lana Del Rey's 10-Year War With the Culture". Vulture. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  14. ↑ "Industry Plants, Raury, and the Importance of Artist Development". Complex. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  15. ↑ Dye, David (28 July 2015). "Heavy Rotation: 10 Songs Public Radio Can't Stop Playing". NPR. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  16. 1 2 Charity, Justin (5 June 2015). "What Is an Industry Plant?". Complex. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  17. ↑ Lee, Christina (28 June 2015). "Raurfest Report: Is Raury the Ringleader New Atlanta's Been Waiting For?". Vice. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  18. ↑ Thomas, Chris (11 December 2017). "Meet Nick Harwood, the Industry Plant Behind the Year's Best Music Videos". Out. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  19. 1 2 3 Ruskell, Nick (4 May 2021). "From Lana Del Rey to Tramp Stamps: why we love to unmask an 'industry plant'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  20. 1 2 Kameir, Rawiya (28 April 2017). "Skip this Marley". The Outline. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  21. ↑ Breihan, Tom (15 February 2017). "Is Chance The Rapper About To Get Corny?". Stereogum. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  22. ↑ Samways, Gemma (13 July 2021). "Clairo: 'This industry drains young women until they're not youthful any more'". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  23. ↑ Zoladz, Lindsay (25 July 2018). "The Curious Case of Clairo". The Ringer. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  24. 1 2 3 4 Palmer, Elle (29 May 2023). "Have misogynists co-opted the term 'industry plant'?". Far Out. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  25. ↑ Stewart, Allison (1 August 2021). "On 'Happier Than Ever' Billie Eilish delivers a second album that shows she wasn't just a whisper". Washington Post. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  26. ↑ O'Connor, Roisin (27 July 2021). "Why Billie Eilish is the ultimate teen-pop icon". The Independent. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  27. ↑ Dominguez, Alessa (17 August 2019). "Is Billie Eilish Really That 'Weird'?". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  28. ↑ Thomas, Fred (8 November 2019). "Iann Dior - Industry Plant Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  29. ↑ Barber-Way, Mish (6 September 2018). "Cover Story: Phoebe Bridgers". The Fader. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  30. ↑ Kemp, Ella (12 June 2020). "Phoebe Bridgers: 'I definitely feel a lot less apologetic than I did before'". NME. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  31. ↑ Forde, Kisha (30 June 2021). "H.E.R. Claps Back at 'Industry Plant' Conspiracy Theory". E! News. E!. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  32. ↑ Brown, Preezy (30 June 2021). "DJ Akademiks Calls Megan Thee Stallion's Career 'Overhyped'". Vibe. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  33. ↑ Hiatt, Brian (13 October 2022). "Wet Leg: That Whole 'Industry Plant' Thing is 'Misogyny'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  34. ↑ Newstead, Al (11 April 2022). "Wet Leg's silly, savage debut album proves they can be serious too". Triple J. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  35. ↑ Dodson, P. Claire (27 April 2023). "Taylor Swift's Advice to Gayle Helped Her Move Past Backlash". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  36. ↑ Sung, Morgan (24 May 2022). "People are getting tired of the 'TikTok music formula'". NBC News. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  37. ↑ Savage, Mark (7 November 2023). "The Last Dinner Party: 'Being a hyped, buzzy band can be a curse'". BBC News. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  38. ↑ Mumford, Gwilym (5 May 2023). "The Guide #85: The brouhaha over The Last Dinner Party, indie's buzziest band". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  39. ↑ Skinner, Tom (27 April 2023). "The Last Dinner Party respond to industry plant allegations". NME. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  40. ↑ Daly, Rhian (19 December 2023). "Class of 2024: Picture Parlour". DIY. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  41. ↑ Kelly, Tyler Damara (23 June 2023). "Picture Parlour's producer Steph Marziano weighs in on the 'industry plant' discourse". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  42. ↑ Graye, Megan (25 June 2023). "Picture Parlour: 'You couldn't have put the target on a more ridiculous head'". The Independent. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  43. ↑ Willman, Chris (15 August 2023). "Oliver Anthony's 'Rich Men North of Richmond' Is an Instant Smash Among Conservatives, While Progressives Wonder if He's a 'Plant'". Variety. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  44. ↑ Graziosi, Graig (24 August 2023). "Why have conservatives turned on 'Rich Men North of Richmond' singer Oliver Anthony". The Independent. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  45. ↑ Ehrlich, Brenna (25 August 2023). "Scowl Refuse to Let the Bastards Grind Them Down". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  46. ↑ DeVille, Chris (8 August 2023). "Scowl's Kat Moss Fires Back At 'Industry Plant' Accusations". Stereogum. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  47. ↑ Lim, Candice; Hampton, Rachelle (24 May 2023). "Is Ice Spice an Industry Plant?". ICYMI (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  48. 1 2 Williams, Aaron (29 September 2023). "Is Ice Spice An Industry Plant?". Uproxx. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  49. ↑ Geraghty, Hollie (3 October 2023). "Ice Spice on industry plant criticism: "I let people believe whatever they want"". NME. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  50. ↑ Horowitz, Steven J. (17 January 2019). "Greta Van Fleet Talk SNL, the Grammys, and That Review". Vulture. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  51. ↑ Hyden, Steven (15 April 2021). "Why Is Everyone So Mean To Greta Van Fleet?". Uproxx. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  52. ↑ Thomas, Chris (11 December 2017). "Meet Nick Harwood, the Industry Plant Behind the Year's Best Music Videos". Out. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  53. ↑ Thompson, Paul (6 March 2019). "Dominic Fike is ready to be very, very famous". The Fader. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  54. ↑ Rodrigues, Ashwin (29 October 2020). "Jean Dawson Made a Record for His 17-Year-Old Self". Vice. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  55. ↑ Breihan, Tom (9 December 2020). "CJ's 'Whoopty' And The Mainstreaming Of Drill". Stereogum. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  56. ↑ DeVille, Chris (16 February 2017). "Bebe Rexha Is One More Hit Away From Becoming A Household Name". Stereogum. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  57. ↑ Buchanan, Rhys (2 October 2020). "Boy Pablo: 'I'm just a normal dude that got lucky'". NME. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  58. ↑ Cooke, Shawn (13 June 2020). "The best albums of the week, from Chloe x Halle, RMR, and more". Mic. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  59. ↑ Holmes, Charles (2 March 2020). "RMR's Rascal Flatts Homage 'Rascal' Is a Viral Hit -- As Long As It Can Stay Online". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  60. ↑ Haasch, Palmer (14 May 2021). "How mysterious influencer Bella Poarch shot to fame with TikTok's most-liked video in just a few months". Insider. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  61. ↑ Rolli, Bryan (28 October 2020). "Conspiracy theory claims Bella Poarch sold her soul to the llluminati for TikTok fame". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  62. ↑ Newstead, Al (13 January 2021). "DAMN. The Kid LAROI overtakes Kendrick Lamar on Spotify". Triple J. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  63. ↑ Tosiello, Pete (17 March 2017). "Your Old Droog Isn't Nas, and That's the Way He Likes It". Spin. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  64. 1 2 Cills, Hazel (19 April 2021). "Tramp Stamps and the Problem With 'Industry Plants'". Jezebel. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  65. ↑ Wray, Daniel Dylan (7 March 2023). "Just what is an 'industry plant' anyway?". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  66. ↑ Cowen, Trace William (28 September 2023). "Ice Spice Addresses Industry Plant Chatter, Declares Herself a 'Marketing F*cking Genius'". Complex. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  67. ↑ Williams, Kyann-Sian (11 November 2020). "iann dior: 'My role? I'm picking up where Juice WRLD left off'". NME. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  68. ↑ Von Pip, Andy (17 July 2023). "Picture Parlour on Their Debut Single, Conspiracy Theories, and Future Plans". Under the Radar. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  69. ↑ Powers, Ann; Ganz, Jacob; Cills, Hazel (9 April 2022). "Meme Girls: Three squares talk about Wet Leg, the band everybody's talking about". NPR. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  70. ↑ Cliff, Aimee (27 November 2018). "Getting real with viral pop star Clairo". Dazed. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  71. ↑ Murray, Robin (27 April 2023). "The Last Dinner Party And The Vagaries Of Hype | Features". Clash. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
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