Snoop Dogg calls out streaming platforms and music executives to demand answers on how to track and distribute the massive streaming revenues generated by artists during an off-script moment during a panel discussion about music and artificial intelligence. See his rant inside…
During a panel held at the 2023 Milken Institute Global Conference earlier this month, Snoop Dogg said he was going “off script” and launched into a rant—which has since gone viral—about streaming platforms.
In an off-script moment, the “Gin and Juice” rapper called out music executives at a business conference by questioning the stingy digital-music streaming-payout system while extending support for striking TV workers.
The legendary rapper, actor, and entrepreneur was speaking on a panel about music and artificial intelligence when he went off on a tangent. While being interviewed by Larry Jackson, Apple’s former music creative director, he questioned why music-streaming services paid artists so little, adding that TV-show writers also deserved better.
“Streaming got to get their s*** together,” Snoop said, highlighting that massive streaming figures aren’t translating into big payouts for artists.
The outburst came following a question from Larry Jackson, who spoke about an “exciting time” for the hip hop genre courtesy of its popularity on streaming platforms.
“I know I’m going off-script right now, but f*ck it. This is business,” Snoop said. “In a room full of business people and somebody may hear this so the next artist don’t have to struggle and cry for his money because some of these artists are streaming millions and millions and millions and millions of fucking streams and they don’t got no millions of dollars in the pot.”
Snoop, who received some applause and cheers, then made a more direct call to the audience.
“That’s the main gripe with a lot of us artists is that we do major numbers with streams and this s—t but they don’t add up to the money. Like, where the f—k is the money?”
He continued, “I don’t know who the f*ck is running the streaming industry if you in here or not? But you need to give us some information on how to f*cking track this money down,” he said amid some audience laughs. “Because one plus one ain’t adding up to two.”
“Some of these artists are streaming millions and millions of streams and they don’t have millions of dollars in their pocket,” he finished.
In addition, Snoop Dogg linked his tangent to the ongoing strike by TV writers.
The use of artificial intelligence has already led to the manipulation of artists’ voices, with a viral song supposedly from Drake and The Weeknd being scrubbed from the internet. Meanwhile, writers are battling against the use of A.I. to create TV show scripts and advocating for regulations to prevent their jobs from being replaced by machines.
Watch the viral clip below:
Snoop Dogg went off the script and went in on streaming, AI and the writers strike pic.twitter.com/7vfl5Cpw1C
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod (@big_business_) May 8, 2023
What are your thoughts on Snoop’s outburst? Should streaming platforms pay artists more?
BONUS:
Snoop Dogg stopped by ‘Undisputed’ and brought Death Row chains for Skip and Shannon pic.twitter.com/bosUWZnKCy
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) May 4, 2023
Snoop Dogg gifted TV hosts Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless Death Row chains on a recent episode of “Undisputed.” Watch the clip above.
Photo: DFree/Shutterstock
