The record label industry has been historically one of the most exploitative in American media. Especially for artists starting out, it’s not a lucrative industry, with artists typically receiving an advance, and a small percentage of commissions off their songs’ streaming performance.
Chappell Roan took to the stage to express her disinterest in the industry’s exploitation of young artists after winning Best New Artist at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards. Specifically, Roan emphasized the necessity for health care to be provided to artists as they attempt to make a name for themselves.
“I told myself if I ever won a Grammy and I got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and healthcare, especially for developing artists,” Roan said.
In response, Roan and several fellow artists – among them Grammy winners and nominees such as Noah Kahan, Charli xcx and Sabrina Carpenter – have donated to Backlin, a “non-profit that connects music industry professionals and their families with mental health and wellness resources.”
Roan, and the many other artists who have contributed, have each donated several thousand dollars to Backline’s campaign. That being said, it’s a bandage application to the ultimate goal set by Roan’s speech and could potentially be counter-intuitive.
Roan let fans know they did not have to contribute for this reason. It’s an opportunity for the record label to step up and be encouraged to supply the artists they’re profiting millions off to make a change.
“Fans, y’all don’t have to donate a damn penny,” she wrote on Instagram. “This is one of many opportunities for the industry powers to show up for artists. There is much more work to be done.”
With that in mind, it brings up an important question: Are the actions of artists to supply the initiative with funding not also disincentivizing record labels to step up? The answer is most likely yes.
Roan’s story leading up to her Grammy speech is all too common, although many do not have the same later career success. Roan’s second-largest song on Spotify, “Pink Pony Club,” which receives over 3.2 million streams daily, did not hit the Billboard Top 100 until June 29, 2024, four years and two months after its April 2020 release.
During that period, Roan struggled with a lack of healthcare, as her label failed to provide it.
“I got signed so young … and when I got dropped, I had zero job experience under my belt, and like most people, I had a difficult time finding a job in the pandemic, and could not afford health insurance,” Roan said.
While Roan was able to avoid serious illness or injury, the lack of a safety net beneath her she believes her label should have provided led to mental struggles and deep-seated stress.
The call to action itself is important, and rather than disincentivizing labels to take action through the actions of the fortunate artists, Roan and her contemporaries must continue to push the message down the throat of the labels, forcing them to make a change on their own.
Logan Adams is a junior studying journalism. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Logan know by tweeting him @LoganPAdams.
