The Backwards Industry: When Your Music Is Valued Less Than a Dance Video.

A lot of people understand that being an underground musician is hard. Some of us want to get paid for doing something we love. Some of us just treat it as a hobby, and continue with our part time or full time jobs. If you're a musician, you'll understand what I mean when I refer to what I like to call "The backwards industry." So, keep reading; I'm onto something here.

I had someone DM me on Tik Tok months ago as they were interested in having my music on one of their dancing videos. I was groomed for a short period of time, then the person made their offer. They sent me a copied and pasted list of all their pricing. It was expensive. At first I thought they were just offering it for free out of the goodness of their heart. But I was jibbed. Thankfully I didn't give them a cent of whatever money I had left.

Now think about this: Why would I wanna pay someone hundreds of dollars just to have the music I CREATED on their video?

THEY SHOULD BE PAYING ME! They came to ME!

To understand why this request was so frustrating, let’s look at what really goes into making a track.

Producers typically go through a structured yet creative workflow. It starts with pre-production, where they develop the song’s concept, define its mood, choose a key and tempo, and gather references. In the composition and songwriting phase, they build chord progressions, write melodies and lyrics, and plan the arrangement. During production, the beat and instrumental layers are crafted using virtual instruments, sound design, and possibly live recordings. This is followed by other recordings, where vocalists or musicians perform their parts, and the producer captures strong, emotional takes. Next is editing, where the best takes are compiled (comping), timing and pitch are corrected, and audio is cleaned. In the mixing stage, all elements are balanced using EQ, compression, reverb, and automation to shape the song’s sound. After that, mastering gives the track its final polish—adjusting loudness, clarity, and format for distribution. Lastly, in release prep, producers export all versions, tag metadata, and prepare visuals and files for streaming platforms. Some also handle post-release promotion to support the song’s reach and success.

Here is a quick breakdown:

• Pre-production: concept, key/tempo, references

• Composition: chords, melody, lyrics, structure

• Production: beatmaking, sound design, layering

• Recording: guide performances, vocal/instrument tracking

• Editing: comping, tuning, timing, cleanup

• Mixing: balance, EQ, compression, effects, automation

• Mastering: final loudness, clarity, and format optimization

• Release prep: export stems, artwork, metadata, upload

• Promotion: marketing, fan engagement, analytics

NOW think about how long this all takes. This varies from person to person. For those who know me I am very slow songwriter. It can take me up to three weeks to write a hit song. Just one song. The audio mastering process can take 4 hours - to even a day, and sometimes we have to revisit a track the next day just so we can listen with fresh ears to find anymore tweaks. This is countless hours of hard work to get the sound that we are looking for, and fits the sound of every single device you listen to music on. We are some of the most toughest musical critics in the world. Those hours should lead up to the minimum wage per week or per month.

Why would you choose to profit off someone else's hard work and passion, potentially sabotaging their momentum, just to make a quick buck for yourself? Exposure means nothing if it only benefits one party. So what’s actually in it for us? Where is the mutual respect, the fair exchange, or even the basic recognition of the effort we've poured into our craft? If collaboration only flows one way, it’s not collaboration—it’s exploitation.

In essence, "The Backwards Industry" is a system where the people doing the hardest, most time-consuming creative work are undervalued, underpaid, or even asked to pay to participate—all while others profit off that labor without offering a fair return.

My advice? If you get bogus offer like I did make sure you're getting something in return for your hard work. We’re not just making beats in our bedrooms for fun—we’re building something from the ground up with our time, our money, our energy, and our hearts. Yet we’re often met with a system that flips logic on its head and expects us to pay to be heard, instead of being valued for what we create. The Backwards Industry thrives on that imbalance. But we don’t have to accept it. The more we speak up, share our stories, and support each other, the more we can shift the culture toward one that respects the grind behind the art. Collaboration should be mutual. Recognition should be earned—not bought. And at the very least, artists deserve to be treated with the same respect we give our craft.