Artists Buy Views?!

Country Rap has been flooded with diss tracks recently and there's buzz that there are more to come. Some people would say that it's helping the genre. How could it be helping the genre? More people are hearing these names. Whether they were dissed or given credit. In turn, people may be looking them up. Some people believe this is good for the genre. The fact is, many people have put their heart and soul into becoming who they are today.

There has also been a lot of buzz about the numbers. We can speculate so many things about numbers but I went to google and wanted to see a few things, like buying subscribers and views. Here's what I found:

The first way to buy YouTube subscribers is via an instant purchase. Now, this is the riskiest way to grow your following, so you need to make sure you research the service you will use.

Can you get banned for buying YouTube subscribers?

Buying views is not banned by YouTube entirely. You can buy legitimate views, but you cannot buy bad views without risking sanction. So, the consequences of buying views depends on the quality and source of those views. Buying legitimate views is perfectly fine, even expected as far as YouTube is concerned.

Can you have fake views on YouTube?

If YouTube detects artificial views in your video, there is a risk that the video will be removed or your channel may risk getting banned. But even if you get away with it, there is still a price to pay.... Bots can only engage (e.g., view, comment, like, or dislike your video) when they are prompted to.

There has been talk about buying listeners on other platforms. Recently, Spotify cut down on bot fed playlists that give artists fake streams. They literally removed ~750,000 songs at the beginning of the year because of fake streams. This makes it extremely hard to fake the monthly listeners on Spotify. There is a well written article on this subject by Artist Collective.

People will argue about this and that's okay, but our team goes off numbers for a reason. I've heard it said that NUMBERS are FACTS. When we see artists with consistent numbers across multiple platforms, it's hard to dispute that their numbers have been faked. It would become extremely expensive to fake numbers on 3+ platforms.

There has been so much beef lately, it's almost hard to keep up with. Dylan Talkz posted a video about Caskey and Doobie dissing Country Rap. Ryan Upchurch had a few things to say back to them and here it is:

Dylan Talks said some things many would agree with. Haters are everywhere and if you don't have them, you aren't doing something right. At least, that's what they say.

Disses have been a huge part of the hip hop culture. Because of some diss tracks of the past, several country rap fans get involved with their own thoughts.

An opinion I found noteworthy was the need for more lyricism. In a recent post from Franklin Embry he talks about the differences between rappers and lyricists.

Words give a larger narrative to the story and give the audience a little more to go on. Most don't want a snack. They want the feast.

Negative Buzz Felt Throughout the Community

With every action, there is a reaction. Many fans in country rap enjoy the music of several artists. If a diss track comes out from one of their favorite artists, and it's aimed at another favorite artist, they are caught up in it.

We understand growth in the movement. If diss tracks move it forward, so be it. BUT, we don't want to lose anyone, including a fan, that enjoys the fun, family, feeling that's grown among the genre.

The stir creates animosity between people. Many people decide they want to support certain artists. Often that support generates a backlash in comments on some social media outlets.

Positive Aspects of Diss Tracks

So often people tend to focus on the negativity brought out when someone puts out a diss track, but they are filled with a lot of things that can be very beneficial to the growth of Country Rap.

When people talk about certain songs, it causes others to want to hear the song. If it is a diss track, they may involve themselves more by listening to music from both the artist that provided the diss, as well as the artist/artists that the track spoke of. This, in itself, is growth and benefits everyone involved.

When "buzz" occurs, others take notice. That can potentially cause the reach of these songs to spread into other genres or factions within the music industry as a whole. When a "buzz" is generated, it may cause others to listen. Country Rap is still at a young stage within the music industry and has the potential to reach so many listeners with the right direction.

If you like them or if you don't, diss tracks are in Country Rap to stay. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.

- Kelsey Leigh

- Jean Hix