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'Billboard' Experiencing Well Deserved Backlash Over Survey

25th August 2015 • No comments

A survey sent by Billboard magazine to top music execs is causing a long overdue backlash against the publication and its ever-devolving standards. Reported by Tim Ingham of Music Business Worldwide, the survey avoids the biggest issues facing the industry, opting instead to ask business leaders if they believe Justin Bieber will one day have a reality show, who the most overpaid executives are, and which exec is most devious. The question leaving everyone agasp, however, is the one asking “Who do you believe, Kesha or Dr. Luke?” Yes, lovely readers, once the most elite publication in the entirety of the music industry, one known for covering all varieties of hard-hitting music business subject-matter, Billboard magazine is asking people to wager their best guess on if Kesha was sexually assaulted Dr. Luke. As if the other questions, which reek of middle-school gossip and cattiness, aren’t bad enough, a professional trade magazine is casually asking the public to speculate on the alleged assault of one of its own. As deplorable as this is, it’s not entirely shocking to those of us who have seen Billboard slowly become the Idiocracy of trade publications. There was a time when Billboard was the only place to find coverage on the most relevant topics in the business of music. They were known for insight and were a resource for every one in the industry; that isn’t the case any longer.

The survey:
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Over the course of the past few years, what once was the go-to source for trade information has morphed into the red-headed stepchild of Us Weekly and its ilk. Focusing on ‘beach bodies’, who wore it best, and banal gossip which can be found in any number of places, Billboard has lost its mind, integrity, and soul. A few recent tweets which demonstrate this:

Must watch high school oriented music videos!

Actor Terrance Howard’s divorce news is pressing music business fare, apparently:

Promoting the ‘Men of Style’ issue of Billboard: because industry-folk care what the artists they work with are wearing.

A playlist about the college experience…because…I have no idea.

You get the idea, and those tweets are only from the last 14 hours.

To be fair, the billboardbiz Twitter feed is less gossip oriented and is business focused. Of course, by definition, that’s what Billboard and all accounts associated with the publication should be. It should be all business. It used to be all business. Perhaps the public want surveys on which singer is ‘hottest’ but there are outlets for that which don’t cater specifically to those who work in the industry. People who want to read about bass players’ favorite smoothie stand are not reading Billboard. Likewise, busy industry insiders who want to keep up with the news of their business do not want that content.

Speaking to the New York Post about the survey, artist manager and executive Irving Azoff said: “Their reckless statement to Page Six about me and the inappropriate subject matter of their so-called survey are a new low, even for them.”
As appalled as those inside the industry are by the latest Billboard act of idiocy, news of the survey is now seeping into the mainstream media and disgusting the public at large. An article written by Anastasia Tsioulcas for NPR asks: Why Is ‘Billboard’ Asking Industry Execs If They Believe Kesha? There have also been pieces in The Washington Post and the San Francisco Examiner.

Those in the music business have tired of Billboard’s new focus on gossip fodder and speculation over criminal acts. At some point perhaps Billboard will remember why it began and who its audience is. If not, they’re destined to be replaced by publications willing to provide those in the music business with news and information they actually need.

For actual music industry news we recommend Music Business Worldwide and CMU

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