[Opinion] The Era of the Music Superstar is Dead

 

I think in this current modern era of music we can confidently say that the era of the music superstar as we once knew it is dead. Now, before you think I'm being an alarmist I would like to bring forth my rationale for thinking this way that will put everything into perspective.

1.) Lack of Artist Development

Back in the day, when an artist was signed to a label they went through a process known as artist development to aid with nurturing their talent(s) and career before they were presented to the public. Nowadays, artist development is severely lacking and is not invested in as much as it once was and artists are thrown on stage completely unprepared and it shows. 

2.) How Music is Now Consumed 

Physical albums used to reign supreme but now it's all about streaming. Recording artists are not making as much money off of their recorded music anymore. Today, it's about playlisting on streaming platforms. The average length of songs has also gotten shorter to accommodate streaming. When an artist has a hit single it lives in a microwaveable bubble of popularity before the public quickly moves on to the next viral song. A majority of the songs that are considered "hits" these days don't go on to be timeless records. It's now the era of flash-in-the-pan singles instead of albums. 

3.) Loss of Star-Making Vehicles/Platforms

Today's audience is very fractured and many of the star-making vehicles or platforms that artists used to promote their music are gone. Not to mention people's attention spans have significantly shortened.

4.) Social Media

Social media has made artists more accessible than ever before for better or worse and with that comes a loss of mystique and overexposure. In this day and age, it's extremely difficult for an artist to maintain their commercial longevity. 

I firmly believe that these are the key reasons why the era of the music superstar is dead.