“Industry plants” is a term that has been thrown around every now and then primarily when talking about musicians. It may be something you’ve heard but have been too afraid to ask, or just didn’t care to seek out an answer. People use it frequently on social media websites like Twitter and TikTok, and while you may decode it through context clues, here is a clear explanation.
Who Are They?
Industry plants are seemingly ‘random’ people who suddenly show up on your radar without explanation or any prior knowledge of them. For instance, when you start seeing an artist getting ad space on Instagram or TikTok over and over again, completely out of the blue, you may begin to suspect them of being an industry plant. The term itself has a chronically online history, originating on message boards in the 2000s. Since then, there have been internet speculators trying to pinpoint industry plants in attempts to expose them as being phony.
What Makes an Industry Plant?
If an artist has not made a name for themselves, establishing a history of creating music, this is suspicious enough for people to raise questions. Most musicians you see have built up a fan base over years and years of work and improvement of their music and image. With industry plants, this is not the case. Their music has little room to improve since they broke onto the scene with all the recourses at their disposal.
Who Is Behind an Industry Plant?
Industry plants are not necessarily the ones to be blamed. In fact, the concept all depends on the artist having connections that broke them into the industry. Similarly, it applies to an artist who is being controlled and molded by record labels. By doing this, record labels attempt to earn a lot of money and have the clout of creating the next big star. As for the artist having connections that broke them into the industry, this can be intertwined with the idea of ‘nepotism babies,’ which I will now explain.
Industry Plant vs. Nepotism Baby
There are nuanced definitions of both ‘industry plant’ and ‘nepotism baby,’ but there are certainly differences to be seen. Nepotism babies can apply to those operating outside of the music industry, although there are still musicians that come from established families. Nepotism, by definition, is when people with power and influence give jobs to friends and relatives. This is not to say children of famous people, that are now in the entertainment industry, aren’t talented. What this really means is, the children of famous people achieved their status not through hard work, but rather through connections. The reason why the two terms are intertwined is because of artists like Willow and Jaden Smith. They are children of two extremely famous film stars, so they were able to secure positions in the music industry with top-tier production and preestablished fanbases.
Final Remarks
Many people try to pick apart musical artists to find an industry plant, and others don’t believe in the concept at all. Either way, this was merely a rundown of what they are and where the idea came from. Hopefully, if this topic ever pops up on your timeline or in conversation, you’ll now have some background knowledge.