As part of The GRAMMY’s futureNOW music conference, Alicia Keys interviewed with Gayle King as keynote speaker to share her views on the current state of the music industry.
Keys has made various milestones in music and in the community. Unlike most critics of today, Keys says she actually thinks now is an exciting time for music because artists have to get more creative on how to reach their fans and sell albums.
The “Girl On Fire” singer reflects on how simpler things were when she first signed without the addition of social media, Pandora, Spotify and music streaming services.
“It does create a lot of middlemen that do in some ways get in the way and in other ways it also creates these beautiful outlets and opportunities to do things in ways that are new and thoughtful and unique,” says the wise New York native.
The 33-year-old musician also touched on a very sensitive topic that many in the industry rarely speak on — artist compensation. There’s been a lot of stories from various artists like TLC and the original Destiny’s Child not getting paid all of what they deserve.
Keys announced that her new mission is to advocate for fair compensation for artists. Not only singers, but songwriters and producers as well. She admits that it’s been going on too long and it’s time for a change.
Check out the full interview below.
