First and foremost, I love music and everything involving it, and this is why I can't separate art from the artist. This is a huge debate within the industry, and this is why I'm writing this article. Music is such a huge part of life. It's influential and plays a huge role in a lot of people's lives, so this is why we must hold musicians accountable and not listen to artists who aren't good people. The classification of a "good person" is subjective, but I think there is basic criteria that we hold people who aren't famous accountable to that we should hold musicians to, too.
Being in the spotlight is very hard, but that shouldn't excuse the actions of celebrities. There are so many amazing artists who take pride in their platform and how they present themselves that we should be lifting up instead of the artists that take their platform for granted and do things that could be detrimental to their fan base, especially their younger ones that are very easily influenced. The fact that people justify listening to artists that have committed blatant crimes that are extremely harmful is a reflection of the idol culture we grow up in. We put these people on pedestals and they feel they are invincible, and in some ways, they are, due to the lack of actual consequence to their actions.
However, I don't think cancel culture isn't necessarily the answer either. I think making a point to identify and correct these behaviors is so important. Not listening to their work isn't canceling them, it's holding them, and other artists, accountable. I think it's our job as music listeners to love and support the artists who use their platforms for the good.
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