They sell the dream
but it's really a lie.
It saddens me to see young up and coming artists think that youtube is a viable platform for them.
The game is so rigged against them it's not true. There are whole websites dedicated to explaining in great detail how youtube rips off its content creators. As soon as you start to make your way above the pack, then they rape you for what they can get away with.
It is not possible to get ahead for this reason. The only people that do get ahead have massive pr firms and record companies behind them and they just use youtube as a marketing platform. Really, the practices from google/youtube are truly shocking when you bother to dig and see what's really going on.
And of course, now that they have sold the dream, it becomes a self-perpetuating myth for them and all the young kids think that they too can be the next justin bieber or wtf. Some get lucky, true, but don't plan on it. Try it and see what you are dealing with. Google/youtube have teams of people that have this worked out to a fine art - how they can extract that last bit of talent while paying the least amount of money. Some get crumbs from the rich man's table, but most get nothing at all. Some get royally ripped off after making a name for themselves. They get the horse's head on the bed in the morning and, well, that's it then.
The dream is a lie kids. Become a plumber or a nurse or a dentist or a chef. False hope is worse than no hope at all, but really there just is no hope.
Let that cognitive dissonance wash over you for a bit, and with a bit of luck it will sink in, that the only people that gain are google/youtube. They are seen as sticking it to the man and making music available to all - who cares if a few minted artists get a bit less this year in their royalty cheque?
But again, they sell the dream, which is a lie. Google/youtube are merciless and ruthless with dealing with up and coming talent. But they have the informatics of how this all works and they are gaming it to get content for free.
These people are just making it known what is going on, as they see first hand the reality. Of course, they aren't actually in a position to do anything about it. This will not change.
We've bred a generation of kids with stars in their eyes. To become musicians/producers/songwriters. To become top make-up artists, fashion gurus, etc. etc. and they think that dissemination of their talent will lead to distribution of their hard goods (records, make-up packs, books) and eventually hard cash. They target the kids at a younger and younger age, and by the time people realise they have been had, a whole new generation is ready to take their place.
Life will kick them in the nuts soon enough, and the only people who will have really benefited from their time trying to hit the big time, will be you-know-who.
But what do I know? Give it a crack kids and see how far you get. Don't forget to search for all those sites that explain in depth the game afoot here. Due diligence. These people aren't your friends, they are parasites. Despite the facade of the 'I'd like to teach the world to sing' persona, they are just money-hungry driven businessmen.
Cynical and calculating, they don't care if they eventually kill their host, for they are legion and they will just find a new victim once the corpse has been bled dry. Or so it seems to have worked so far. There is of course a problem with that business model, but hey, today life is good, and they are getting rich off the fat of the land and the sweat of the eternally hopeful and naive.
These kids are just a product of that, don't be too hard on them. But someone needs to start metaphorically slapping some sense into them soon, for their own sake if nothing else.
The other side of the coin is that not only are they part of the problem, they actually are the problem itself. And google are just exploiting that. Bit like you can't con an honest man line of reasoning/rationalisation. Are they one as bad as they other? Maybe, depends. One things for sure, youtube is not a get rich quick scheme, or a get rich next year scheme, except for those at the very top of the corporate heap and the drones that perpetuate this bullshit from the techs to the marketer. It's a massive machine.
Welcome my son, welcome to the machine.
Where have you been? It's alright we know where you've been.
You've been in the pipeline, filling in time,
provided with toys and Scouting for Boys.
You bought a guitar to punish your ma,
And you didn't like school, and you know you're nobody's fool,
So welcome to the machine.
Welcome my son, welcome to the machine.
What did you dream? It's alright we told you what to dream.
You dreamed of a big star, he played a mean guitar,
He always ate in the Steak Bar. He loved to drive in his Jaguar.
So welcome to the machine.
...........................
Meet the new boss, even worse than the old boss.
They can't say they haven't been warned.