10 Times Singers EXPOSED the Music Industry

MsMojo

From unfair contracts to exploitation, artists have bravely spoken out against industry practices. Join us as we explore shocking revelations from musicians who dared to challenge the system. Our countdown features powerful statements from legendary artists who fought for creative freedom and fair compensation.

Transcript

00:00Welcome to MissMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most memorable

00:08instances when musicians pulled back the curtain on the shady inner workings of the

00:12recording industry.

00:13Labels, we got you, but do you got us?

00:17Number 10, Rae

00:22Before releasing her debut album, British singer Rae was primarily known as a songwriter,

00:33penning hits for the likes of Beyonce, Charli XCX, and John Legend.

00:36However, she longed to put out her own music, but her own record label turned out to be

00:41her biggest obstacle.

00:42In a Twitter thread from June 2021, Rae accused Polydor Records of preventing her from releasing

00:47an album because they didn't believe that she was ready.

00:50The alarms go off around the label, and then do they say this is, you can do your album,

00:56or how does it shake out after that?

00:58No, it was very much, it was actually, please, can you stop doing interviews, Rae?

01:06Really stop talking about it, it's embarrassing.

01:07Yeah, and as I will when you let me go, so just let me go, please.

01:11The thread not only garnered support, but also shed light on an all-too-common industry

01:15struggle.

01:16The following month, Rae parted ways with Polydor, finally gaining the freedom to drop

01:20My 21st Century Blues in 2023.

01:22The triumphant debut earned her six Brit Awards and a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.

01:319.

01:36Ally Brooke

01:43Despite disbanding in 2018, Fifth Harmony still holds its place as one of the best-selling

01:48girl groups in history.

01:49Their music has been streamed billions of times across multiple platforms, so you'd

01:53think they are raking in steady paychecks, right?

01:57Well, not quite.

01:58In 2023, former member Ally Brooke made a shocking revelation on the Zach Sang Show

02:03podcast that the group earns nothing from streaming platforms.

02:07It's crazy, it's messed up, it's not what you think.

02:09Yeah, not at all.

02:11That's, I mean, the thought of like, you guys having all these streams for all these years

02:16and still all these listeners and, I mean, somebody's making money off of it.

02:20It's criminal.

02:21Yes, but not us.

02:22$5,000 a month is all that you got from all these streams and all that.

02:26The only silver lining is that they still pocket about $5,000 per month in royalties

02:30thanks to SoundExchange, the non-profit set up by the U.S. Congress to ensure artists

02:35get paid for their recordings.

02:37Bandmate Lauren Jauregui backed up Brooke's claim, adding that most of the money actually

02:41goes to the songwriters and producers.

02:44Songwriters and, you know, the producers, they all make money off of it too, which is,

02:48they gotta eat too, you know?

02:49Yeah, of course.

02:50Number 8.

02:51Jade Thirlwall

02:52Despite some progress in tackling sexism in the music industry, certain incidents surface

03:05that prove there's still much work to be done.

03:08English musician Jade Thirlwall, who rose to fame as a member of Little Mix, has spoken

03:13about the intense pressure women face in the industry.

03:15In a 2018 interview with ASOS Magazine, Thirlwall recalled attending a radio event in the U.S.

03:21where a record label executive advised her to flirt with important men to secure airplay.

03:34She also revealed that a well-known producer once discouraged the group from writing their

03:38own songs.

03:39A similar situation occurred with English singer Cher Lloyd, who alleged that her record

03:43label urged her to get with Justin Bieber to promote her album in the U.S.

03:49I really need some cash to try and push this record.

03:54Basically told no, but what I needed to do to make this record take off is hit some of

04:02the clubs and they'll find out where Bieber is and I should go try to get with him.

04:09Number 7.

04:10Halsey

04:11There's no denying the impact TikTok has had on the music industry.

04:19Songs that go viral on the social media platform are almost guaranteed to become pop hits.

04:24But it seems record labels are beginning to rely on it a little too much.

04:29Halsey suggested this in 2022 when she posted a TikTok video venting that her label was

04:33blocking the release of a song until they could first create a viral moment on TikTok

04:37out of it.

04:38You ask for a pop song, I gave you a pop song, I gave it to you my way, the way that I'm

04:43going to do it.

04:44I've been doing this for years and I've never been someone who's going to concede.

04:50And they were like, OK, well, you can do whatever you want, but we're not going to give you

04:53anything.

04:54We're not going to help you promote it at all.

04:58Ironically, Halsey's rant went viral, garnering her 8 million views, which made many upset

05:03that it was staged.

05:05Halsey however refuted those claims.

05:07Record labels' increasing demands for TikTok visibility have also drawn complaints from

05:11other artists like FKA Twigs and Gavin DeGraw.

05:23Number 6.

05:24Megan Thee Stallion

05:32Although it is centered around entertainment, the music business is still a business, one

05:36where exploitation is quite common.

05:39Rapper Megan Thee Stallion believed that she was on the receiving end of that stick due

05:43to the terms of her early recording contract.

05:46Megan disclosed in a 2020 Instagram Live that she had signed with 1501 Certified Entertainment

05:52without fully grasping the fine print.

06:22When she later tried to renegotiate, the label allegedly fought against it and attempted

06:26to prevent her from releasing new music.

06:28In 2022, Megan sued 1501 and eventually reached a confidential settlement, allowing her to

06:34part ways with them.

06:36She has since launched her own independent label, Hot Girl Productions, through which

06:39she now releases her music.

06:49Number 5.

06:50Chapel Roan

06:51Few artists had a better 2024 than Chapel Roan.

07:02The campy singer-songwriter from Missouri shot to superstardom thanks in large part

07:06to her breakout single, Good Luck Babe.

07:09But her success was not overnight.

07:11Roan spent years as a struggling artist, during which time she felt neglected by her record

07:15label.

07:16After winning Best New Artist at the 2025 Grammys, Roan used her acceptance speech to

07:21make a statement.

07:44She called out the record labels, challenging them to pay their artists livable wages and

07:48provide them with comprehensive health insurance.

07:51In doing so, Roan not only shone a light on a very important issue in the industry, she

07:55also fulfilled a promise to her younger self.

08:05Number 4.

08:06TLC

08:07In 1996, girl group TLC was on top of the music world.

08:18Their multi-platinum album, Crazy Sexy Cool, had spawned two number one singles and earned

08:23them two Grammys.

08:24But while talking to the press at the awards ceremony that year, the group dropped a bombshell.

08:29Despite selling millions of records, they had no money.

08:32Apparently they had been tied down with an unfavorable contract, which saw them receive

08:37only 56 cents per album sold.

09:00In addition, their label deducted money for expenses like airline travel, hotel stays,

09:05and music videos from their earnings, leaving them with less than $50,000 a year each.

09:10This combined with their personal financial struggles left one of the biggest girl groups

09:14of the decade nearly penniless.

09:22Number 3.

09:23Kesha

09:30Pop singer Kesha was only 18 when she signed a six-album deal with producer Dr. Luke.

09:35To the public, their partnership seemed successful, but behind the scenes, things were allegedly

09:40much different.

09:41In 2014, Kesha sued Luke, accusing him of discrimination, sexual assault, and violation

09:47of business laws.

09:48Her 2017 album Rainbow served both as a comeback and a statement, featuring songs that addressed

09:53the situation and subtly called Luke out.

10:13The lawsuit was finally settled out of court in 2023, following which Kesha cut ties with

10:18Luke and founded her own label.

10:20Now she has unveiled a 10-year plan to shake up the industry by creating a digital platform

10:25designed to protect artists and prevent others from facing what she endured.

10:36Number 2.

10:37Taylor Swift

10:44Before Big Machine Records officially launched in 2005, it had already signed its first artist,

10:49a fresh-faced singer named Taylor Swift.

10:52Eventually, Swift became a global sensation and her recordings, which the label owned

10:57the masters to, turned into a goldmine.

11:00In 2019, Big Machine was sold to music executive Scooter Braun, giving him control over Swift's

11:06masters.

11:07This move infuriated the singer.

11:09Swift took to Tumblr to condemn the sale, accusing Braun of harassing her in the past

11:13and claiming that she was never given the chance to buy her own catalogue.

11:20Her posts received widespread support from fellow artists, who agreed that musicians

11:24should own their own work.

11:26Determined to reclaim control, Swift began re-recording her first six albums and releasing

11:31them as Taylor's Version.

11:59Number 1.

12:00Prince

12:01Prince was a musical genius, but he was also a fierce advocate for artists' rights.

12:10In the early 90s, he famously clashed with his record label, Warner Brothers, where he

12:14had been since he was 18.

12:16Frustrated by their refusal to let him release music at his own pace, Prince made a decision

12:21that many saw as outrageous.

12:23He changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol.

12:42However this didn't stop Warner Brothers from selling his records and delaying new releases.

12:46As a result, Prince doubled down, by performing in public with the word SLAVE boldly written

12:51across his face.

12:52Although his sales took a hit during this period, Prince's bold protest exposed the

12:57industry's exploitative practices and reshaped the conversation around musicians' rights.

13:10Which of these revelations about the music industry shocked you the most?

13:13Let us know in the comments below!

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