Breaking down the “industry plant” label

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The label “industry plant” seems to be on everyone’s lips at the moment. As soon as an artist gains a relatively large amount of success in a short time, perhaps because of virality or award nominations, they face the accusation that record label executives are orchestrating it for profit. Doechii, Clairo and Sombr are just some examples of artists facing the allegations; let’s break them down.

American rapper Doechii had all eyes on her after she released her mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal, which went on to win the Grammy for Best Rap Album. The win was historic, as it made her the third woman to win in the category after Lauryn Hill and Cardi B. She’s had huge hits, such as DENIAL IS A RIVER and NISSAN ALTIMA both featured on her mixtape, and the track Anxiety went hugely viral on TikTok. People started throwing the label “industry plant” at her, because she seemingly came out of nowhere. But, if you do further research, you’ll find out that she’s been releasing music for years. Doechii started releasing music on SoundCloud in 2016, and released her first project Coven Music Session, Vol. 1 in 2019. After getting a wave of virality on TikTok in 2021 with Yucky Blucky Fruitcake, she signed to Capital Records. Prior to that, everything was self-funded and self-released. So, she’s clearly been working extremely hard to get where she is. Maybe her label has pushed her a bit, but as they should; she deserves all the praise she’s getting.

Indie darling Clairo appeared on the scene in 2017 with Flaming Hot Cheetos, and received further attention for the song Pretty Girl. She was a pioneer for the “bedroom pop” genre that soundtracked every quirky teen’s 2017-2019, and now continues to rise in popularity with her evolved soft-rock/folkish sound. Though she’s been marketed as self-made, many argue otherwise due to her father’s record label and marketing connections. In fact, she signed with label “The Fader” when she first started due to knowing the label’s founder Jon Cohen her whole life. However, it could also be argued in Clairo’s case that, although she may have had a much easier time in the industry than others, her talent is what’s making her popular, not her father’s friends.

Sombr is one of the latest artists to gain enough popularity to get hounded with “industry plant” allegations. The singer currently has just over 56 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and released his debut album I Barely Know her just a couple of months ago. The hit back to friends has just over a billion streams; it also has at least 700,000 videos on TikTok. Sombr is one of the few artists who seem to have gained their popularity from the platform- every track he releases becomes viral, every performance goes viral, and his main marketing tactics are based off of the latest trends. TikTok is one of the biggest factors on what songs are successful and what aren’t these days; some artists have even come out and said that their record labels have forced them to make videos for the platform, or not allowed them to release new songs unless it has a viral moment. Sombr’s music is extremely TikTok friendly; his lyrics read like quotes you’d find on a sad breakup post with a million likes, and his laid-back approach makes him desirable and marketable for labels desperately trying to cash in on any TikTok trend. This doesn’t necessarily mean he’s an industry plant; it more likely means that his longevity is quite hard to predict.

“Industry plant” seems to have become synonymous with success in the social media world. Though there are definitely artists out there who do fit the label, success is defined by one thing; people need to be listening. An artist can truly call themselves successful when they start getting people listening to their music or attending their gigs. Even if a record label is incessantly pushing an artist, it won’t work unless they’re actually good. Every musician takes different amounts of time to reach fame; some may take years, others may release their debut single to instant notoriety. It seems that no matter what, though, someone online will call them an industry plant. So, maybe artists should start taking it as a compliment?