How Big Companies *Kill the Competition* & Control the Music Game

Summary

Earn Your Leisure Podcast Episode Summary Title: How Big Companies Kill the Competition & Control the Music Game
Host/Author: EYL Network
Release Date: July 16, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of the Earn Your Leisure podcast, hosts Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings delve into the intricate dynamics of the music industry, specifically examining how large corporations strategically eliminate competition to dominate the market. Through insightful discussions and real-world examples, they explore the consequences of corporate acquisitions, the challenges faced by independent artists, and the evolving landscape shaped by streaming services.

Apple's Acquisition of Beats by Dre

One of the central topics discussed is Apple's acquisition of Beats by Dre. The hosts reference a conversation with Snoop Dogg, who provides a critical perspective on the deal.

Guest (Timestamp [02:00]): "Sometimes they'll buy you to shelf you. Beats by Dre was lit. They had everybody—rappers, athletes. Now with Apple, all you hear is iPod, the AirPods."

This acquisition is portrayed not just as a business transaction but as a strategic move by Apple to suppress Beats by Dre's independent presence, thereby promoting their own products like AirPods.

Impact on Independent Artists

The discussion extends to the broader implications for independent artists. The hosts recount personal anecdotes and industry observations to highlight how major labels and corporations absorb smaller entities, leaving independent artists with limited control and diminishing their financial gains.

Host B (Timestamp [03:07]): "Virgin Megastore sucked up all the independent artists first, gave us more money than we've ever seen, but 40-45% of it is gone in taxes. Then they chased the major stores."

This segment underscores the financial vulnerabilities that independent artists face, where significant portions of their earnings are lost to taxes and corporate overheads, reducing their ability to invest in personal and professional growth.

Major Labels' Control Tactics

Another critical point of discussion revolves around the tactics employed by major labels to maintain control over the music industry. The hosts argue that these companies not only acquire artists but also manipulate the market to favor their interests.

Host B (Timestamp [05:10]): "The Virgin Megastore was one of the few times we were empowered. But labels keep everyone happy without real ownership. It's a psychological game."

This highlights the psychological strategies labels use to give artists a semblance of ownership and control while actually keeping the power and profits centralized within the corporation.

Streaming Services and Financial Implications

The shift to streaming services is scrutinized for its financial impact on artists. The hosts express skepticism about the purported benefits of streaming, arguing that it primarily serves corporate interests by perpetuating continuous plays without equitable compensation for creators.

Host B (Timestamp [06:00]): "Streaming is just playing your shit over and over again. You get $10 a CD, two fractions of pennies on streaming. What's smart about that?"

This critique emphasizes the disparity between revenue generated for streaming platforms and the actual earnings received by artists, questioning the sustainability of streaming as a viable income source for musicians.

Psychological Control Through Labels

An intriguing aspect discussed is the psychological influence labels exert over artists. Drawing from Swizz Beatz's insights, the conversation explores how labels create a sense of empowerment without granting actual ownership, thereby ensuring artists remain compliant within the corporate structure.

Guest (Timestamp [06:51]): "Swizz Beatz said you don't have to give ownership, just make them feel like they have ownership. Labels keep everyone satisfied but maintain control."

This strategy ensures that artists feel valued and integral to the company's success, while the labels retain full control over the distribution and monetization of their work.

Notable Insights and Quotes

• Host C (Timestamp [02:14]): "Slim Thug regretted going to a label. It was better to stay independent."
• Host B (Timestamp [05:34]): "We learned how to press CDs ourselves, but then the majors sucked up the mom and pop stores."
• Host B (Timestamp [07:00]): "Nothing from a business standpoint was positive about streaming. They just play up perpetually."

These quotes encapsulate the overarching themes of autonomy, financial exploitation, and the detrimental effects of corporate dominance in the music industry.

Conclusions

The episode concludes with a sobering reflection on the current state of the music industry. The hosts emphasize the importance of understanding the business mechanisms that govern artistic success and the need for artists to seek genuine ownership and equitable compensation.

Host B (Final Timestamp [07:34]): "We get caught in the trends, no matter how detrimental. There's nothing positive from a business standpoint about streaming."

This closing remark serves as a call to action for artists and industry stakeholders to critically assess and navigate the complex interplay between creativity and commerce.

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Final Thoughts

This episode of Earn Your Leisure offers a comprehensive analysis of how major corporations manipulate the music industry to their advantage, often at the expense of independent artists. By blending financial acumen with cultural insights, Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings provide listeners with a nuanced understanding of the challenges and strategies within the entertainment sector. Whether you're an aspiring artist, a music enthusiast, or someone interested in the business side of entertainment, this discussion sheds light on the hidden dynamics that shape the music we consume.

Transcript

[A]

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[C]

Let me ask you this on the independent side. Snoop. I only met Snoop one time, and it was crazy because he gave a lot of game just in a very short period of time. One of the things that he said was extremely insightful. He was saying that we're talking about Beats by Dre, and you know, everybody know that. I think Apple bought it for $800 million, something like that. And he was like, sometimes they'll buy you to shelf you.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Meaning like, Beats by Dre was lit. They had everybody. They had all the rappers, they had athletes there. You don't really see too much about Beats by Dre now. So his Apple.

[A]

Apple bought them.

[C]

Apple bought them.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

So his thing was like, as soon as Apple buys Beats by Dre, all you hear is iPod, the AirPods. So they essentially brought the competition to kill the competition so they could push their products, which is airpods, as opposed to Beats by Dre.

[B]

Where have you heard that before, though?

[C]

Well, that's what I'm tying it in with the music because, like, Slim Thug is my guy. Like, that's a personal friend of ours. And he was saying, like, how he kind of regretted going to a label because it's like the label, the allure of a label. Like, I got a deal now. I got my own label under a label. But he was like, looking back on was better to Just stay the independent route.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

You think that the music business has done that?

[B]

Of course. That's what I was alluding to earlier. I even take it a step further. Okay, then. All right, see, y' all starting with me now. I'm trying to stay on business. All right, so peep this, watch this, watch this. Gonna blow your mind. It's funny because I saw part of it here. What was the big. The Virgin Megastore. That was when I knew they won. Watch this.

[A]

Times Square.

[B]

So they sucked up all of the independent artists first, gave us more money than we ever seen. But what that is to them is a tax write off, right? Because they make sure in most cases that we fail. And then the other rappers who would like me, unlike, you know what I'm saying? If. Let's say Mannie Fresh decided that he wanted to leave, right? I don't have that problem because I produce also. If Baby decided to leave, then they don't have to worry about that. Cause I run my business. I understand my business. If Wayne decided to leave, to leave, well, they rapper left or juvie decided to leave, or BG decided to leave, Well, I do the rappers, I do the rapping. So what ended up happening is after they. So they gave all this money and we thought we had all of this money. And then the first thing that you all know I didn't understand is what, 40, 45% of it is gone just in taxes, right? Then you catching up for all of the borrowing that you did and not having or getting your first house and car, getting your mom straight. What CeeLo Green said that money be gone. So they did that. That was easy. Then watch what they did. I myself got a seventy thousand dollar check from Southwest Distribution. We didn't need the majors. We had Gonzalez, we had Southwest, we had distribution companies. Real solid distribution companies. They soaked them up and bought them out. Then guess what they did. Black people learn how to get mom and Pop stores, even though a lot of them was burning CDs in the back and bootlegging. But that was. We even learned how to. We actually learned how to press CDs.

[A]

This is a fact.

[B]

Right?

[A]

In our own homes.

[B]

Then they sucked up the mom and Pop stores. I don't know if y' all remember when they would put. All the feds started going to the mom and Pop stores like they were really. Like they were selling drugs, bro.

[C]

Right?

[B]

So then they sucked up the mom and Pop stores. Then after they sucked up the mom and Pop stores, then they went for the major stores.

[C]

Sam Goody.

[B]

We at Virgin, all we got to do is say the Virgin Megastore, bro. Literally. And I know. I know, Jordan, but I got to say it, bro. Like, the Virgin Megastore was one of the few times, besides walking into a strip club where I think I slightly had an orgasm when I was walking to the store, allegedly. I mean, just being. I mean, just being, bro. One thing that people don't understand about me, bro, I really loved hip hop. I really loved it. I really thought it was this real thing, bro. I right, like, bro. And I peep what they did to the game, bro. And then we were okay with streaming after that, bro. Like, we. It's just like, bro, we are addicted to following our oppressors. No matter how they treat us, no matter how bad they do us, we run behind them, bro. I just left Forbes, and what I was telling them over there at Forbes was like, one of the sad things is that we get caught in the trends, no matter how detrimental those trends may be to us. Like, I told him, there's nothing from a business standpoint that you can tell me that was positive about streaming. And you all are on your business acumen, bro. At least at y' all age, bro. I don't know too many people, y' all ages that beat y' all on that side. Tell me one positive thing about streaming you were getting. I just told you. I was getting $10 a CD, two fractions of pennies to just allow somebody to play my music over and over again on their site. That's all streaming is. They just play up perpetually. Play your shit over and over again. And then people tap into their site. What's smart about that?

[C]

It's the psychological. Even Swizz. Swizz B Test said something that was a psycho. Also with. He. He went to Harvard, like, that program that they have, and he was like, one thing that he picked up is that in business, you don't have to give somebody ownership, but you just make them feel like they have ownership in their work. So he equated that to labels. He's like, so when they started giving everybody a label, they felt empowered because now you're under a power structure that you psychologically want to be under anyway, and they make. You're still a worker, but. But you have a title of a CEO. So now everybody got a label, but nobody has distribution. Nobody has real ownership. But that's a way to keep everybody happy and satisfied.

[D]

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[E]

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