The Boom-Bot Era“How Stealthing and Streamyards have changed the game…”
Back in the day….
It was about moving units. Records sold. The way the game worked, you had to get people to cop that tape, that record or that cd. Now? You just need them to listen. And then–like it; a lot. The digital age means that nobody owns their music anymore. They can share it, they can listen to it, whenever they want and wherever they want via the streaming service of your choice. Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and those are just the big three. Technology has evolved the way we experience and enjoy entertainment, how we consume all types of experiences and products. The technology has also created black markets where shadow operators are the real movers and shakers in the world of music and commerce.
The Boom-Bot Era “How Stealthing and Streamyards have changed the game…”
What does it mean when you can’t trust the numbers? At the very inception of the music industry, Payola, the practice of paying radio dj’s to spin records in the hopes to boost popularity and drive listeners to an artist was a way for record labels to hedge their bets in the market. For record executives with shareholders, the need to get a return on their investment by any means has led to all types of gray area practices, but with stream farms the game’s changed.
Stream farms are essentially physical locations housing various cellular devices and computers with an operator creating fake online identities that actively stream content, or operators using “bots” programs that mimic human actions in online stores or social media sites. These farms are the payola in the matrix. In a world where record plays/spins now is the equivalent to a record sold, how do you hedge your bets? These farms provide services though not only for huge record labels or already established stars. It’s for whomever can pay the fees, and the cost doesn’t come cheap. Roughly $1500 dollars a month will get you 200 “stream listens” in one New York farm that was highlighted in a recent Vice documentary featuring Michael K. Williams (RIP) who serves as our guide into the digital underworld. As Michael explores this world, he comes across another company who works for major labels with the purpose of “verifying” an artist's online viability. In other words, this company confirms if an artist's online audience is legitimate or built from bots. The irony that the head of the company points out is, he knows for a fact major’s use these tactics to further beef up the numbers of already established artists. In one of the most recent high profile cases, it was French Montana who was accused of using streaming farms for his song “Writing on the Wall”. In essence the industry is having its bots and policing them too.
We also were introduced to Chad Focus, a Baltimore area independent artist who with a background in IT used this new technology to great effect. Chad found out and realized that these farms and also the practice of “stealthing”, using bots to buy up or buy out products in online marketplaces then re-selling at a premium, could level the playing field for his music career, while also turning a high profit. At one point, Chad relays a story to Michael on how he made two hundred fifty thousand dollars net, by stealthing a show he promoted with he and Lil Baby as co-headliners. Chad utilized bots to buy out a large majority of the tickets available for the show via ticketmaster. Once he bought those tickets, he then turned around and put those tickets on a resale site netting the gains. What’s the most amazing aspect of this process is that the laws are very gray around this practice. In fact, the only federal legislation, the bot act of 2016 is rarely enforced. As with much of the digital ecosystem in the 21st century, antiquated political and legal systems cannot keep up or move at the speed of the ever evolving technology we have at our disposal. In the interview, Chad argues that he’s simply following the practices of major labels and concert promoters who are already utilizing these same tactics to great effect. A quick search online highlights federal investigations into companies such as LiveNation around these very same practices, and yet Chad ultimately pays the price with federal time.
If the current landscape that we have, one where the average consumer has no idea whether or not an item actually is “sold out” or an artist’s only chance of being signed or competing in the marketplace is to artificially inflate their popularity via these services, how does one compete? Whether it’s been payola or even another tactic employed by Clear Channel, labeled “The On the Verge” program where subjectively selected artists would have a song played a minimum of 150 times across their more than 800 stations, the industry constantly vies for ways to minimize the risk on its investment. Hedging bets is the only way that in the very unsure business of art and music these companies can create a sure thing. But where does that leave the rest of us? Is the “hot” new song, really “hot” or just a selected benefactor of an automated audience? Like piped in applause to a sitcom to give the appearance of a “real” audience. The bot era looks to manufacture popularity and hype in an attempt to insure viability in a time where it has never been easier to create, produce art and content as well as distribute it technically to the broadest audience. With so much competition, and the playing field effectively evened because of the technology, is it any wonder that while the internet still in some parts is the wild wild west, anyone who can wouldn’t take advantage?
