The ImDontai Controversy Says a Lot About Music Right Now..

It's going to keep happening, okay? I'm very humble, but in this point at this point when people are talking like this, calling me a loser and a nerd and nobody cares about what he got to say, [ __ ] I'm the goat of this [ __ ] I am the goat of this [ __ ] When an album drops, [ __ ] search up I'm Dontai before they type the title of that album. Shut your [ __ ] mouth, okay? And you will respect me, you little hooligans. You will respect me, okay? Cuz I guarantee you that if I asked you what I what album or what artist I should react to, you will gracefully, with quickness, at top mock speed type your favorite artist seeking my reaction to it. Clock that clock that tea. >> Recently, streamer I'm Dontai found himself in the middle of a controversy after one of his song war streams. Some artists felt disrespected and felt like I'm Dontai's comments were a signal that he was no longer in touch with the current underground music scene. And the internet really was split over his decisions. Some fans rallied online to defend him, while others argued that creators like I'm Dontai have become gatekeepers and they had too much influence over the music that people discovered. Now, whether I'm Dontai was right or wrong isn't what really interested me about this story because if I've learned one thing is that the relationship between the music industry and gatekeepers has always been complicated. Artists hate being kept out and feeling like they may be forced away from a potential audience just because one person or a group of people doesn't like their music. And fans hate feeling like someone else gets to decide what type of music they should like. Meanwhile, the people or the entities that are being called gatekeepers will argue that they're just trying to help people discover quality music. And at this point, it feels like everybody hates gatekeepers until they need one. And if you're a part of the 40% of artists who subscribe to this channel, then just know that if your opinion on music ever becomes popular, then people are going to eventually start calling you a gatekeeper, too. But after looking into this I'm Dontai controversy, I don't actually think that artists hate gatekeepers or really feel like they shouldn't exist. I think they disagree about what a gatekeeper actually is. Let me explain. But before I do, make sure you hit that subscribe button because apparently, if enough people on the internet like your opinion, then the internet promotes you to a gatekeeper. And I ain't going to lie to y'all, I'm trying to get that title. So, make sure you do your part and hit that button. Now, let's get back into the video. Now, I think the most interesting part of this whole situation wasn't even the controversy itself. And it was really what started happening afterwards and the discourse that it started within the underground music community. Because I started to see people call I am Dondre out of touch. They were saying that he no longer represented the voice of the underground. And I started to see the word gatekeeper being thrown around over and over and over again. Now, the issue is nobody really seemed to be saying the same thing. Some people thought that I am Dondre was abusing his influence, while others felt like he was just a guy giving his opinion. And I think it started this really interesting dialogue within upcoming artists about whether or not music even needs gatekeepers. Some artists will argue that we actually do need gatekeepers and they're a very important part of the music industry ecosystem. While other artists will argue that gatekeepers are actually ruining music and ruining the discovery process for a potential fan. And that whole discourse made me stop and ask, what even is a gatekeeper? Because depending on who you talk to in the music industry, you'll get completely different answers. >> Do you think gatekeeping in the industry is real? >> I think gatekeeping is real. I think gatekeeping needs to come back. I think the reason why the industry sucks is cuz nobody's gatekeeping. >> Listen, break it down. >> I'mma ask you a question. When you put out your record, it was work. You had to get the DJs, you had to go outside. Don't know you, got to perform in front of people. It's so much work that goes into what we did. Now, look at today. Somebody on Afghanistan right now can upload a song on Spotify and we can hear it today. >> Mhm. >> I think that we have to allow gatekeeping to come back because we have to have someone to say, you're good, you're good, you. And And right now, nobody's saying that. So, we won't even know who's real and who's fake now. >> So, I think that the way that Ray Daniels describes gatekeeping is the way that a lot of people in the music industry see it. They don't necessarily see it as censorship, but as quality control. I mean, really think about what he said because he's right in the aspect that almost every single form of entertainment has some type of gatekeeping involved. Not every guy that can hoop on the playground makes it to the NBA. Every single actor in an audition doesn't make it past the casting director. And even books have editors. Almost every single major industry has people that decide who gets opportunities, who gets recognition, who gets distribution, and who gets to even play the game. And Ray's argument is music shouldn't be any different. And also want you guys to pay really close attention to who he started to describe when he talked about gatekeepers. He didn't talk about some exec or A&R at a label. He started off by talking about a very simple component of most music artist discovery, and that's the DJ. So, you can already start to see how different parts of the industry or people who play different roles within the artist discovery process get the title at one point or another. And what's really interesting is that if you could talk to people from different sectors of the music industry who have been doing whatever they do for however long they've been doing it, you'll start to see that a lot of people feel exactly how Ray feels. >> But that's why in hip-hop there has always been gatekeepers because some of y'all don't deserve a [ __ ] opinion. Because you haven't been doing this professionally, consuming, playing, and critiquing hip-hop as your life. You're just a fan. You're just And we love you. You're just a consumer. You're a customer as we call them. That's why sometimes your opinion, customer, doesn't [ __ ] count because you don't [ __ ] do this for real. >> So, notice that Ray Daniels and Ebro have two things in common when it comes to their opinion on gatekeeping. One is that they believe that the professionals and the people that have worked within music in some capacity are really the ones who deserve a voice at who gets next up. And two, neither one of them is really talking about power. They're talking about filtering and curating. Basically, having a system to separate potential stars from the noise and being able to make decisions around that. Now, I'll be real with y'all. At first, I was kind of like, "Damn, his opinion kind of applies to I Am Dantae." But then I was like, "Nah, I Am Dantae's been reacting to music professionally for 10 years at this point, so he still fits the bill." And the more I thought about what Ebro said, the more I actually started to agree with him because when you really think about it, gatekeepers have always been around throughout music industry history. Radio programmers, magazine editors, record labels, A&Rs, DJs, promoters, even venue owners. And for decades, those people largely decided who even made it to the masses. And this next music exec explains that history perfectly. >> For a long time, the music business revolved around a very small group of gatekeepers who would decide what music can go out to the world. Today, we are seeing a very different model. Artists today are building careers. They are owning their music. Many times when you would sign those record label deals, you would give up ownership. It's all about building the direct relationships with fans. Artists are building a much different, deeper understanding of both the creative and business side. Which is kind of making them a little bit dangerous because when they sit across tables to negotiate, they know much more. >> And that clip is important because it establishes a point that I really want younger artists to understand. The internet didn't invent gatekeepers, and in fact, they've always been here and they've always existed in some capacity. In fact, one of the biggest promises of the internet is that it would help to eliminate gatekeepers. Artists were told that wouldn't need labels anymore, and anyone could upload a song, and fans would discover their music directly, and any artist could build an audience. You guys were told that no one would need permission, and that you could go out there and build this on your own terms. Or at least, that was the dream. But then something happened that I don't think anybody expected. Instead of eliminating gatekeepers like the promise that was made, it started to accidentally create new ones and a different type of gatekeeper. And I don't think that anyone illustrates this concept better than the curator Teresa. Check this clip out. >> This video is to go over my goals and purposes when I'm reviewing super small artists like under 5,000, under 2,000, maybe even under 100 monthly listeners. Because a couple years ago, I was trying to be an independent artist on Tik Tok and I was like, what am I doing? I don't even know if I sound good or not. I would love some feedback. Then I took a whole two-year break from the internet. When I came back, I was like, nah, I'm going to build a platform so I can shed light on other super small artists because while I may not be the talent, I know that a lot of other people probably are and I have the ability to yap and get them attention. >> Now, if you don't know who Teresa is, she's a rising personality and curator within the underground hip-hop scene. And a lot of younger fans and fans of that style of music really do look up to her for her music opinion. And the reason I love this clip is because Teresa never says, I wanted to be a gatekeeper or I want to have some kind of power and influence within the music industry. But instead, she just wanted to help smaller artists get discovered and that became the main driving force on why she started to review music. And in her journey, people started to trust her taste and people started to trust her curation. And as her audience grew, more artists started to reach out, more artists wanted to submit to be on her platform. And before she knew it, she had influence in a side of the music scene. And again, none of this came because she was chasing power. It came because the people decided, hey, we like what you have to say and we want you to stick around. So basically, people voluntarily gave power to her, which made me realize something. I don't think that most of the new internet gatekeepers actually planned on becoming gatekeepers. I think that they were like most people and just fans of music who decided to share their opinion and share what they thought about upcoming artists and then they accidentally became a gatekeeper. And it's actually really simple on how the internet takes these everyday consumers and everyday fans and accidentally turns them into gatekeepers. Because the moment enough artists decide your attention could change my career then your opinion becomes valuable and valuable attention eventually becomes limited, which started to make me wonder if people like Teresa and so many of the music curators and reactioners and the people that are deemed gatekeepers by a lot of upcoming artists never really decide to be a gatekeeper then how could we ever truly stop gatekeeping when the internet keeps accidentally creating so many? So what actually creates a gatekeeper? And at first I thought the answer was your job, right? I thought it was as simple as that. Someone works at a record label or they're becoming A&R or they write for a major publication or they're a publicist or they're a marketer. Basically having a position inside of the music industry that gives you the power to decide who gets opportunities. And then I thought maybe it's building an audience and the bigger your audience becomes the more control you have over deciding the direction of music careers and in return the more of a gatekeeper that you become. But after seeing Teresa's story and thinking about I Am Dante's story, I don't think that influence is actually the cause, it's the consequence. Because influence doesn't create gatekeepers, scarcity does. I mean really think about it. If I Am Dante only had five artists a week sending him music to review then nobody would call him a gatekeeper. He could listen to everything, he could respond to everybody, he could help every single artist that he wanted to help. The problem starts when five submissions become 50 and 50 become 500 and 500 become 5,000 and the pressure and the stress from these rising submissions is often what causes these influencers to start to create systems and boundaries around how they take artist submissions. And I don't think it's a coincidence that when these boundaries start to show up, that's usually when these people start to get the title of being a gatekeeper. >> I got over 4,400 submissions for my South by Southwest show. There's no shot >> [laughter] >> that I'm going to get through 4,000 submissions in time for South by Southwest. So, I closed submissions. >> So, this is the clip that started to change my perspective more than any other clips that I've shown you guys in this video. Because at this point, I didn't even think that it was gatekeeping anymore. It just became math. I mean, think about it. Cato isn't saying, "I don't want to listen to your music." He's saying that I physically can't get through all of these submissions I have. I mean, bro said he had over 4,000 submissions. So, if we assume that every song is at least 3 minutes long, then that's like 200 hours worth of music to go through. And that's before he sleeps, that's before he eats, runs his business, or even gets time to just put the showcase together. Even if Cato wanted to give every single one of those artists an opportunity, he simply doesn't have the time to do it. Which means that somebody has to get filtered out. And it's not because they're not good enough, that's not because they're not a talented artist, but because attention is limited. And honestly, the bigger the music industry gets, the bigger of a problem this becomes. Because every day more music is uploaded and more artists start to compete for attention. And more of these creators and these gatekeepers get more artists who are trying to get them to put them on in some type of way. Which means that the demand for attention keeps growing, but the supply doesn't grow with it. Even the best curator and DJ and manager and A&R and label exec only gets 24 hours in a day. And I think that's the part of the gatekeeping conversation that a lot of artists overlook. I mean, for years whenever artists would talk about gatekeepers, they were usually talking about someone that has some kind of power within the music industry. But I think someone like Dante or Cato represent a new type of gatekeeper. And that's someone who isn't making a power decision, they're just making a taste decision and a time decision. Someone like Cato isn't necessarily deciding who deserves an opportunity. He's deciding what do I have time to pay attention to. And as painful as it might feel to a artist and their ego and the work that they put into their music, those just aren't the same thing. Which made me realize something. A lot of artists treat gatekeepers like they're doing the same job, when in reality they're not. I am Dondae was talking about taste. Ray Daniels was talking about quality control. Teresa was talking about discovery, and Cato was talking about capacity. Four completely different people with four completely different roles. But somehow all of them have been called gatekeepers by some artists out there. And honestly, I think that's why the gatekeeper debate gets confusing and really never ends. Because artists will keep arguing over the same word while describing completely different experiences. Which made me realize something else. If scarcity creates gatekeepers, then every time the industry creates a new bottleneck, doesn't that create a new gatekeeper, too? Because artists aren't just competing for people's attention anymore. They're competing to get through the systems that decide where attention goes. And I think that's where the biggest gatekeeper in modern music enters the conversation. Congratulations, you've officially made it about halfway through the video. Which means that you probably spent more time today thinking about gatekeepers than most artists spend thinking about their next release strategy. And one thing this episode has made me realize is that attention is one of the most valuable resources in music. And the artists who are consistently getting discovered aren't always the artists who are making the best music. They're usually the artists that have systems in place that help them get in front of the right people. And that's exactly why we built Placement. Now, after spending the last 7 years marketing artists, I started to realize something. Most artists spend more time on doing research on where to promote their music than they actually spend on promoting the music. And that made us at No Labels Necessary want to build a platform to help solve that problem. With Placement, all you have to do is describe what type of artist you are, describe your release, and tell us your budget, and Placement will find platforms that fit your genre, your goals, and your budget. If you're an artist, you'll receive curated opportunities that you can approve and start working towards, or you can reject it and start looking for something else. And if you're a marketer, then you'll get full database access so you can start building campaigns your own way. Because success isn't just about making great music, it's about getting it in front of the people who might actually like that great music. So, if Placement sounds like something you need, then click the link below this video to start your free 7-day trial. Now, let's get back into the video. So, if every bottleneck creates a new gatekeeper, then who decides where attention goes today? Because if you ask most artists, they'll probably point at the labels, or at reaction channels, or at playlists. But, the more I thought about it, the more I started to realize that all of those things have one thing in common. They're all trying to satisfy one gatekeeper, the algorithm. >> You're never going to meet the biggest gatekeeper in the music business, because it's not a person. It's the algorithm. A lot of people talk about how the music industry has been completely democratized. A lot of the human gatekeepers that once existed no longer move the needle, or are no longer necessary to move the needle. Whether that's a major record label deal, late-night show performances, press, etc. All these people combined led to a successful artist career at one point. But, now that stuff is not necessary. In many ways, that's a beautiful thing. But, it's kind of like a the devil you know versus the devil you don't kind of thing. At least with human gatekeepers, you knew what their tastes were, what their biases were, what they were looking for. You might actually be able to get a meeting or a chance with them someday. But, with an algorithm, you have no insight into anything about it, and it changes when you can't expect it. >> Well, I think that Kristen from Billboard said something that completely changes this conversation. And honestly, it's something that should make artists today feel more grateful for the gatekeepers they can see. Because the generation of artists before you had all human gatekeepers, and the artists back then knew exactly who they were. They knew about radio programmers, they knew about magazine editors, they knew about the venue owners. If they wanted their music to spread, they knew exactly what person they had to convince. But today it's different because the first audience you might have to convince might not even be human. I mean, really think about how you discover music or how a lot of people discover music today. TikTok decides what videos you see, Spotify decides what song pops up next in your radio playlist. YouTube recommends videos, Instagram decides what makes it to your For You page. Even if your best friend, your dog, your homie uploads a song today, there's no guarantee that you will see it because before your music even reaches people, it usually has to get through a algorithm first. And honestly, that's kind of crazy when you think about it. For years, artists were trying to impress A&Rs and label execs and DJs, but today's artists are trying to impress brands, influencers, and engagement metrics. And that last one is really the biggest one because the biggest gatekeeper in the music industry today isn't even a person that you can convince. And the craziest part is I don't think that most artists even think of the algorithm as gatekeeper because unlike the radio, you can't just call them. And unlike those A&Rs, you can't just bump into them at an underground showcase and network with them. And unlike I Am Donte, you can't just email them or DM them and pitch them. The algorithm is invisible, but it influences what millions of people discover every single day. Which brings me back to a point I made at the top of the video. The internet promised you a lack of gatekeepers, but instead it created entirely new beast. And the cherry on top is that even with all of the new types of gatekeepers, even with all of the hurdles that you guys have to face, it still never got rid of traditional gatekeepers. >> You can't get to that point without a label. You can't get to that Drake level, that YoungBoy level. You're not going to get there without a big machine behind you that's going to put you on these playlists. These labels got a whole building them up that's just going to work your song. Like you couldn't tell me an independent artist right now that's on the charts, that's on top 40 right now. >> See what you're saying. Now I think that DDG brings us back down to earth because there is this idea online that artists can just upload a song, go viral, and build these massive independent careers all by themselves. And while that is true to some extent, the reality is that labels still hold a lot of power. And it's also what confuses me when I see artists beefing with curators or beefing with reactioners or these kind of independent new age gatekeepers because you guys have bigger problems to deal with. And these people are really your allies in conquering the internet and having an advantage over that side of the industry. Because the internet didn't erase the advantages that labels have, it just gave artists a different way to compete. And to be real, it is an interesting predicament for artists to be in because the internet didn't erase all gatekeepers and it added new ones. And I think that's something that artists don't think about, even the ones that do have relationships with these "internet gatekeepers", is that labels have relationships with them, too. The labels also are trying to understand the algorithm. They also reach out to the curators. They find people to help them get in contact with the reactioners. Labels have found themselves navigating the same system of new age gatekeeping that a lot of artists are currently trying to figure out. And thinking through this finally made something click for me. If Rae, Teresa, Cato, DDG, and I am Dantae are all talking about gatekeepers, why does it feel like they're all describing completely different things? And I think I've finally figured it out. I don't think that people, and even artists, really disagree or really disapprove of gatekeeping. I think they disagree about the definition of it and which part of the definition affects them personally at some point in their artist career. Because think about it again, I am Dantae was talking about taste, Rae Daniels was talking about quality control, Teresa was talking about discovery, Cato was talking about capacity, Christian was talking about the algorithm, and DDG was talking about the label infrastructure and industry access. All completely different people with completely different roles that an artist might get turned down from at some point in their career. So, while yes an artist could argue that all of those things are gatekeepers, we have to at least agree that they're not the same type of gatekeepers, right? And after looking into all of this, I think that a gatekeeper is actually much simpler than we've all made it be. A gatekeeper is any person, any platform, or any system that decides who gets attention. And I think that if more artists started to look at gatekeeping that way, then more artists would take it less personally when one of these levels of gatekeeping personally affects their career or they feel like it's their career growth. Because as much as it might hurt for that curator to tell you that they don't like your music or for that promoter to tell you that you can't be on the show or for that A&R to tell you that they can't take a meeting, these people's roles are very important inside of the music industry. And I think what makes it so hard for artists to accept this is something that I said at the top of the video. The internet promised you guys the elimination of gatekeepers, and for a long time it really did feel like you didn't need them. You could post your music, you could post on TikTok, you could go straight to the people and build an audience around yourself. But if you keep building long enough, then eventually you will hit one of those walls. And in my personal opinion, the new age style of gatekeeping is much easier to navigate than the old school style of gatekeeping. Because back then there may have only been one radio programmer or one guy working at MTV, but today because the internet has created millions of micro gatekeepers, you can always find a different way to navigate and find someone that does like you and can help you move on to the next level. You don't have to take every single opinion personally because there are so many opinions out there. And if your music really is good, then eventually one of those opinions will wait will vouch for you. So, I think that the real lesson for artists isn't how do we eliminate gatekeepers, I think it's which gatekeepers actually matter for my career and how can I find ones within those positions that actually support me. Because to be real, I don't think we'll ever see a version of the music industry that doesn't have some type of a gatekeeper. And I also don't think that attention will ever become unlimited. Someone or somebody or something will always decide where attention gets directed. And if you can learn to cope with that, if you can learn to strategize within it, if you can learn to not take it personally and feel like it's going to bring your career down, then you'll be able to navigate the music industry better than 99% of music artists. And if you enjoy these kind of videos into how the music industry works, consider becoming a channel member today. On that side, we do exclusive discussions, behind-the-scenes conversations, and members get early access to select content. So, if that sounds like something you'd enjoy, then hit that join button below this video. But guys, I want to know what you think. Do you think that the music industry could genuinely survive without gatekeepers? Or do we need people and systems and entities that decide what gets attention? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. Other than that, if you like this video, make sure you hit the like button, subscribe, share this with the artists and these little bit of game in the name. My name is Corey, and I'll see you all next time.