Spotify listeners call Sabrina Carpenter an ‘industry plant’ for ‘automatically playing her music’
Spotify listeners accused the singer of being an “industry plant”.
Some Spotify listeners have called Sabrina Carpenter an “industry plant” for the streaming site allegedly “automatically playing her music” — even if they’re seemingly listening to a completely different genre.
The “Feather” singer has seen astronomical success since joining Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour, even performing for the first time at Coachella this year.
But despite a string of chart success — some of which has been seen thanks to her witty, viral “Nonsense” outros — some listeners have accused the singer of finding success outside of “organic” means.
The Tall Girl and Tall Girl 2 actress released her certified earworm “Espresso” on 11 April from her upcoming album Short n’ Sweet. Carpenter then released her follow-up single “Please Please Please” on 6 June.
What is Sabrina Carpenter’s spotify ranking?
Thanks to Sabrina Carpenter’s Spotify ranking, the singer dethroned Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight” after 10 days atop the Top 50 – Global chart with “Espresso”.
However, some users on Spotify have complained that her songs have repetitively appeared on the autoplay feature — even after listening to anything which isn’t, well, pop.
Whilst “Espresso” and her latest single have dominated the music charts and TikTok, some people have questioned whether her astronomical rise to fame is “organic”.
“Like this if Spotify automatically plays her music for you too I’m trying to see something,” X user @mazzypopstar posted on the social media site in reference to Carpenter. The since-deleted account garnered over 42 million views for the tweet.
Another person echoed: “Guys I’m being fr here but why does Spotify KEEP playing Sabrina Carpenter’s new song every single time an album or playlist im listening to finishes?? Has she paid Spotify to put her song first in everyone’s auto play or something??”
Beneath the tweet, another screenshotted their “Arctic Monkeys Radio” and “Kendrick Lamar Radio” which both feature her latest single, and arguably couldn’t be further from the genre that Carpenter is in. “In what way does she relates to the Arctic Monkeys and Kendrick Lamar?”, they tweeted.
“Something weird is going on with @Spotify’s algorithm. Why is Sabrina Carpenter being recommended in my daily rap mix?”, another echoed, this time with “Espresso” apparently wedged in between Eminem and Kanye West on the playlist.
Spotify told NME that “multiple factor” determine what will be your next song with the autoplay feature. This includes the song’s popularity during any given moment, whether Spotify’s editorial team have included it on a playlist, and if people with a similar music taste as you have listened to it.
PinkNews has contacted a representative of Spotify and Sabrina Carpenter for a comment on the matter.
What is an ‘industry plant’?
According to Loud and Quiet, an “industry plant” means “an artist who presents themselves as independent…But secretly has the industry backing and money to fund them and artificially shape such a narrative”.
While the phrase has roots in Hip-Hop, the term has been used to coin a heap of artists across other genres, including Jack Harlow, Cardi B, Ice Spice and Billie Eilish.
