Boy Throb versus the Shadow Baddies - it's this year's biggest boy band battle, not unlike NSYNC versus Backstreet Boys in the 90's. Only this time, something feels different.
It’s raising an important question: Are these bands meant to be bands, or are they entertainers first and artists second?
For those who don't know, Boy Throb (named by fan vote) began as a TikTok account only a few months ago, with a specific goal: getting their fourth member, Darshan, a U.S. visa so he could perform with them. How could TikTok help achieve this? By reaching 1 million followers, the band could demonstrate "extraordinary ability" in their craft, strengthening Darshan's case for approval.
They cleared their goal in just one month. Along the way, a rival band (The Shadow Baddies) emerged, turning the situation into the entire plot of a reality TV show playing out on our TikTok feeds.
And yet, something is missing here.
Oh yeah. Art. Passion. Emotion.
Awsten Knight of Waterparks recently referenced this dilemma in “If Lyrics Were Confidential”:
What if you were sponsored by alcohol?
Never had a drink?
That doesn't matter at all
Just take a little sip, we can edit it
And we'll get you a fraction, a penny, a click.
The commentary cuts right to where the industry is now: Record labels are no longer betting on artists because of their vision, values, or craft, but on how profitable they are. And profitability is increasingly measured through the lens of viral success on TikTok, often at the expense of the artist themselves.
Bands that can't break through the TikTok machine are left with few options. To survive, they're pushed to be entertainers first, musicians second. The music alone is no longer enough, and that creates a serious problem in today's scene.
So where does this leave emerging artists? How do bands break through now?
Festivals like When We Were Young thrive on nostalgia, spotlighting bands that broke through with success long before virality was a prerequisite. Smaller acts struggle to get the same visibility. The revival of Warped Tour has helped this to some extent - by featuring legacy bands alongside up-and-coming artists, it is giving newer artists a genuine launching pad that hasn't existed in years.
As more artists reject compromising their identities for viral success, there may be space for new discovery platforms to emerge; platforms that allows for musicians to focus on craft first, entertainment second. A modern equivalent of channels like MTV and Fuse showcasing bands of all sizes, similar to what Warped Tour provides in a live setting. Even streaming platforms like Spotify could play a role by more intentionally elevating smaller artists.
Until then, the support fans can offer is simple. Buy merch. Go to shows. Support the artists you love so they can keep creating and being artists first, without having to turn their careers into WWE-style TikTok storylines for a "fraction, a penny, a click."