FEATURE:
Brick By Brick: Industry Plants
IN THIS PHOTO: Say Now/PHOTO CREDIT: Samuel Ibram
The Case of Say Now, and Misogyny That Still Exists
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THIS is a conversation that…
IN THIS PHOTO: Wet Leg’s Rhian Teasdale (left) and Hester Chambers were accused of being industry plants early in their career/PHOTO CREDIT: Alice Backham
we should not be having. One that only applies to women. I think the last time that I wrote about it was when discussing The Last Dinner Party. The London band were accused of being industry plants. Because they came onto the scene seemingly full-formed with these remarkable songs and growing fanbase. They were not and never have been industry plants. By that, we are talking about an artist/group who, despite presenting themselves as independent or self-made, are secretly backed by major record labels and industry connections. This backing gives them advantages like funding and professional opportunities that are out of reach for truly independent artists, leading to a rapid rise in popularity. I have never seen a male artist accused of that! There would be no point in an industry plant. What it is designed to do. It does seem to be the case that, when you get an incredible female group that pretty quickly establish themselves and are exceptional, that they must be funded by a label and have cheated their way in. The Last Dinner Party pointed out discrepancies with the term ‘industry plants;’ and what it means: “Now, they’ve spoken out against these claims, arguing that “there’s no definition” for what an industry plant is, and that the charge is typically levelled at “just young women who are successful.” “The Beatles were industry plants,” bassist Georgia Davies told The Guardian. “If that’s your definition – ‘the industry helps you’ – then every single artist who’s been aligned with a record label is the same”. Even if we can sort of question what an industry plant means, there is no getting around the fact that women are the ones who face the accusation.
This takes us to the amazing Say Now. I would suggest to everyone to go and follow them. Formerly known as needanamebro (which, to be fair, is an awful name (though it was a placeholder); they announced themselves as Say Now in 2023. They have been around for a little while and have been building their name(s) and music. It is not like they have released a debut single that went to number one, had this vastly expensive video and they came online with millions of fans. They then went on a world tour and got airplay all over the place. I wrote about them in 2023 before they became Say Now. The group (Ysabelle Angeli, Amelia Onuorah and Madeleine Haynes) have released some incredible singles this year, including Can’t Keep a Beat and Supermarket. It is quite rare in this day to see a girl group succeed. Maybe that is an outdated term for what they are. There is not the same vibrant and competitive scene that there was when I was growing up in the 1990s. There were some in the 2000s too. As solo Pop artists are more popular and common, there are not that many girl groups at the forefront. I think that one of the reasons why Say Now are being called industry plants is because they are being noticed and it is unusual. A girl group catching on and getting this love. It is down to their hard work and talent, so naturally the industry would be suspicious. Some that are labelling them as industry plants. In a recent interview with NME, Say Now talked about bringing back the chaotic energy of U.K. groups. Having found a sweet spot in their sound, there is this forward momentum. They also addressed the accusations of being label plants:
“Quite obviously, we stand for diversity,” Haynes says proudly. “I think it’s really nice for young girls – well, young anyone growing up – to see that representation you might not get in other groups.”
Because they’re signed to a major label, Atlantic Records, and hail from the same management stable as One Direction and Little Mix, Say Now have frequently faced a predictable accusation: “You’re industry plants!” These rumours were fuelled, perhaps, by the fact that they launched publicly in 2022 with the witty but slightly gimmicky temporary moniker: needanamebro.
“Honestly, in the beginning, we had it all the time,” Onuorah says, sounding more amused than exasperated. “And we’d always be like: ‘Guys, if we were industry plants, we’d have a Number One single by now.’” The trio released three trip-hop-flavoured singles as needanamebro – ‘Better Love’, ‘Not A Lot Left to Say’ and ‘Netflix (Better Now Without You)’ – before settling on an official name and rebranding as Say Now in July 2023.
Today, they dismiss any suggestion that this might have halted their early momentum. “A name change will always have some sort of controversy around it,” Angeli acknowledges, “but because we asked our fans to help us decide, it defo helped with that transition.” The trio received “over 500 submissions”, including some “really, really bad ones”, but plumped for Say Now, a name that Haynes came up with during a band brainstorm.
Say Now love sitting down with pen and paper to plot their next move. Earlier this year, they held an “emergency band meeting” where they decided to refine their musical direction – a pivotal moment in their trajectory. “We were like, ‘We’re sat on all these songs that are so, so good. Why haven’t we released them?’” Haynes says. “They feel so Say Now so let’s just put them out, even if it’s scary because they’re more R&B than what we’ve released in the past.”
Next up: a multi-song “project” planned for early next year. “We have so much music, but we just need to put it together. And we’re writing all the time,” Onuorah says. “We’ve found a sweet spot now where it feels like we’re really embracing R&B melodies, but with pop production that’s fun and upbeat.” US girl group icons Destiny’s Child are a vocal touchstone. “They’re so known for their incredible riffs, and we always try to embody that too,” Haynes says.
Still, there’s zero chance of Say Now forgetting their roots. “I think British girl groups have a kind of authenticity,” Haynes says. “We’re very outspoken and slightly more rough-cut. Less polished.” And if that means getting chucked out of Asda every now and then, well, so be it”.
I do hope that we end this habit of doubting and mistrusting successful women. Those who are hugely talented and have this confidence. Instead of them being planted by a label, they are instead like any other artist. As I said, Say Now are not industry plants. The Last Dinner Party are not either. Women have to face enough challenges and barriers as it is. They do not need to be diminished or called out falsely. Say Now dealt with industry plant rumours with good humour. They shouldn’t have to! There was a lot of discussion around industry plants last year. What the terms means, why the term is misused and why fans hate industry plants. This article explores this subject more and looks at some of the women who have been accused of being label plants:
“Billie Eilish: Due to her rapid rise to fame and the polished nature of her debut, some speculated that she had significant industry backing. However, Eilish and her team have consistently credited her success to her unique style and organic growth through platforms like SoundCloud.
Lana Del Rey: After her breakout with “Video Games,” some questioned the authenticity of her image and backstory, suggesting she was a creation of the music industry. Del Rey has been open about her struggles and journey in the industry, countering these claims.
Halsey: Halsey’s rise to fame, particularly after she collaborated with The Chainsmokers on “Closer,” led to some labelling her as an industry plant. She has spoken about her grassroots beginnings and the hard work that went into building her career.
Lizzo: Lizzo’s sudden mainstream success, especially with her album “Cuz I Love You,” led to some speculation about industry backing. However, Lizzo had been actively making music and performing for years before her breakthrough”.
Social media platforms have made it easier than ever to witness the struggles and successes of these independent artists. Fans can now follow an artist’s journey from their early stages, often involving years of hard work, setbacks, and gradual growth. This direct connection and the transparent view into an artist’s development foster a deeper appreciation for their efforts and achievements. In contrast, industry plants are often seen as bypassing this struggle, gaining unfair advantages through connections and financial backing. This can be perceived as undermining the meritocratic ideal that the best talent, regardless of background or connections, should have the opportunity to succeed.
The visibility of hardworking artists on social media, who may struggle to gain recognition despite their talent, underscores the perceived injustice of the industry plant phenomenon. It’s a narrative of authenticity versus manufactured success, resonating deeply in a culture that increasingly values genuine artistic expression and the democratisation of opportunity in the music industry.
Every talented band who isn’t getting paid their dues in the industry will have been told, ‘all you need is one lucky break’ by well-meaning fans and politely agreed, meanwhile knowing that all they really need is millions in marketing money at their disposal. So is it any wonder that artists who rise to fame and get all the backing they could possibly need are posited as the natural enemy of the average independent artists tolling the dilapidated fields of the music industry? The same goes for promoters who pour their blood, sweat and tears into promoting an artist only to be ignored by the gatekeepers such as the BBC and NME”.
I want to delve a little deeper before wrapping up with Say Now. In 2023, DAZED wrote about the latest group who were seen as being label plants. Picture Parlour had to face backlash and these false accusations. Even if some men have had to face the industry plant claims, it is mostly women and bands fronted by women. This has to stop! At a time when women are dominating music, this kind of slur and misogynistic practise is detrimental and insulting:
“Maybe we’ve forgotten that hype can be generated elsewhere, in real world spaces, at gigs we haven’t attended. It’s not so implausible that a band could generate hype and get discovered by a high-profile management agency, simply by playing live. The existence of ‘industry plants’, rather than being a conspiracy theory, is how the music industry has always operated – the term could apply to just about any band who get scouted and then heavily promoted. While Picture Parlour weren’t dreamed up in an executive boardroom, it’s clearly true that the music industry decides to throw its weight behind certain bands and not others. Some artists make it big organically, after years of slogging away, while others are plucked out of obscurity and chosen for stardom (or as close to ‘stardom’ as you can get as a rock band in 2023.)
According to Stuart Bennet, associate director at Deacon Communications, a music PR agency, the backlash against Picture Parlour has been over-the-top. “They seem to have plugged away in bands for years and hit a hot streak with this one,” he says. “I think it’s good to be skeptical about what you’re being fed and challenging the dynamics within the music industry. There are undoubtedly elements of privilege and power that come into which bands are picked up. But in this case, it seems a bit misdirected towards a band who essentially seem to have done something rather normal.”
When you look back at the ‘industry plant’ controversies of the last few years, it’s notable that most of them (including Wet Leg, Panic Shack, The Last Dinner Party, Tramp Stamps and now Picture Parlour) have involved bands that are fronted by women. For a certain kind of male rock fan, it’s a more plausible explanation than believing these bands made it off the back of their own talents – particularly as “being young and good looking” is often a core feature of the complaint. Bands fronted by men, which have had similar trajectories and make music of similar quality, aren’t accused of being industry plants at the same frequency, although it has been known to happen – the “private school”/ “rich parents” allegation seems to be more gender-neutral.
But according to Chardine Taylor Stone, a Black Feminist scholar and the drummer with punk band Big Joanie, it’s reductive to dismiss concerns about ‘industry plants’ as inherently sexist. There are a wider range of disparities at play: as she points out, it’s comparatively rare to see Black women or Black artists generally on the cover of NME. “The industry saw the rise of underground feminist women bands but rather than support those grassroots bands as they are, an industry of men decided to water that movement down and support the kind of women they find less threatening: nice young white middle class women,” she tells Dazed. “Criticising that is not misogyny, it’s exposing the industry's sexism, it draws attention to how the industry patronises audiences and how it only allows women to prosper if they fulfill certain beauty standards and don’t cause too much of a fuss”.
Even back in 2022, there were articles written about industry plants and how it is a misogynistic myth. That same year, Wet Leg discussed with Rolling Stone the notion that they are seen as industry plants. Sexism and misogyny at the root of it all. Still alive and well today! Say Now are where they are because of their determination, talent and vision. I don’t think we will see an end to women in music being seen as industry plants. It is an outdated and problematic term that has misogynistic roots. Say Now will succeed in spite of this labelling, but the industry needs to address this and endure that women feel secure coming into music and do not have to face witch hunting or conspiracies! Rather than words over deeds, the industry should not just say it now, they also need to…
DO it now!