Untwisting Reality

The Music Industry as a Tool for Social Engineering

• By Poetry X
• 12 January, 2021
• No Comments

Using artists as agents for political gains is nothing new but most of us are unaware of how deep and the multiple levels of control that this industry has. We should know famous artists have a deep impact in society, beyond of what we may expect. During the Nazi regime in Germany, Hitler used Beethoven’s talent as a symbols of the Arian supremacy. Ironically, when Beethoven was alive, he was not considered a white person. As we have seen with the assassination of singer Victor Jara In Chile and poet Garcia Lorca in Spain, artistic expressions are open threats to oppressive regimes [PX]. Next, we will see some of the levels of control in the musical entertainment.

The British parliament estimated the three major music labels Warner Brothers, Sony and Universal, operate in a “cartel” manner, even when it comes to streaming with huge companies such as Spotify. The committee parliament came to this conclusion after the testimony of Ed O’Brien of Radiohead, Elbow’s Guy Garvey, and Tom Gray of Gomez. Furthermore, the Parliament documented cases of the infamous “payola” bribery method when it comes to promoting influential playlists on these platforms [MSN 24 Nov 2020]. Payola is an obscure established practice where financiers pay media outlets to play their artists. Likewise, contra payola is the practice of paying those same media outlets to bury artists that are no convenient for their business. The business abuses of label companies is not surprising, but there are more sinister aspects that play behind the glamorous curtains of the music industry.

During the early period of the Cold War the CIA began a mind control program called MK-ULTRA. This program operated from the 1950’s until the early 1960’s by a chemist named Sidney Gottlieb. Gottlieb is who brought LSD to the youth in the United States. The most prominent collaborators on this operation was Robert Hunter, the lyricist for the Grateful Dead and the poet Allen Ginsberg [NPR Sep 9, 2019].

Despite MK-ULTRA being terminated, the CIA would keep financing music programs to corrupt the minds of people. Journalist Baxter Dmitry from News Punch gathered testimony from John Homeston, a retired CIA agent who alleged the CIA financed 80s Hip Hop to “Corrupt American Youth.” Homeston said the government put lots of funding to fragment “anti-establishment and anti-American ideologies.” He stated he was behind the creation of the 1980s hip hop celebrities such as NWA, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five [NewsPunch Aug 24, 2017].

According to Homeston, the CIA infiltrated mainstream radio to promote their music. In fact, label executive Lyor Cohen would have been a key CIA asset. Cohen is behind of the success of artist such as Slick Rick, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Will Smith, Eric B. & Rakim, EPMD, Stetsasonic, De La Soul, and A Tribe Called Quest. Later on, he also promoted rappers such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, Migos and Young Thug. This infiltration is not surprising if we takin into account the CIA infiltrated main stream news with the “mockingbird operation.” [TheDailyBeast Jul 12, 2017]

A CIA team of psychologists and war propagandists would have been assisting this social engineering plan to unleash a wave of cynicism and promote the use of heavy drugs. We can conclude the goal was to tie anti-establishment ideology with a pro-drug culture. John Homeston is retired but admitted the CIA haven’t stopped using hip hop to manipulate people. However, there is another aspect of music control.

In the same way music can be used to corrupt society, also musicians could inspire masses to stand for their rights like in the case of Woody Guthrie, Silvio Rodriguez and Ali Primera. In that case when high profile musicians don’t go along with the agenda for the big financiers of the industry, they will suffer negative consequences.

A prominent example of a musician being punished for going against the elites is the case of former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters. Among many other attacks, the MLB, American Express and CitiBank cut their sponsorship of Waters because of his left activism [TheTower Nov 3, 2016]. In addition, popular Venezuelan musicians such as Paul Gillman, Los Guaraguao, Omar Enrique, among others have been banned from performing outside Venezuela because they openly support the left leaning government [DiarioRepublica Feb 1, 2019]. In the case of Paul Gillman his disc distributor no longer sells his work. In addition, festivals such as the world popular “Rock Al Parque” have put the condition to let him play in that event only if he denounces Nicolas Maduro as a tyrannical dictator [Semana Feb 22, 2019].

Also in Venezuela, it was found that the US financed rock groups to destabilize the Chávez government from 1999 until 2013. Just as an example, in 2011 the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) spent $22,970 for 10 rock bands to create music to delegitimize Hugo Chavez [TheGuardian 27 May 2020]. In addition the NED paid experts to record and distribute their music, and to stage big concerts for these bands. It is important to note this whole effort was justified under the premise of promoting “freedom of expression.”

It is important to mention, when it comes to freedom of speech musicians are always affected. For example, Spain has imprisoned at least 15 rappers for lyrics against the royal family. Rappers Pablo Hasel and Valtonyc were sentenced to at least 3 years in prison for lyrics suggesting violence against the royal family and against fascists [WashingtonPost Mar 17, 2018]. In 2003, The Dixie Chicks stated their opposition to the invasion of Iraq and that didn’t just cause death threats but also radio stations and producers refused to promote their music. The Dixie Chicks just like many celebrities and journalists who apposed the invasion of Iraq were sensored. Another case that comes to mind is Pussy Riot in Russia being jailed under trumped out charges, but basically people understand the backlash is because their antagonism to Putin.

When it comes to Latin America we must point out the case of Gloria Estefan who is very prominent for her right wing political inclinations, which is not a surprise anyway, since her father was a bodyguard for the Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. Unified in this cause of taking down left leaning governments, the Miami exile and the corporate elite have created a monopoly of the hispanic entertainment all across the continent and the Estefan family controls a big part of that agency as part of the SONY corporation.

It was in 2014 when an avalanche of artists were put together to take down the government of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. Celebrities like Rihanna, Madonna, Ricky Martin, and many Mexican and Colombian artists publicly accused the Venezuelan government of violating human rights. It is important to note that the people inciting violence in Venezuela were actually people from the opposition sector. The part of Mexican and Colombian artists slandering Venezuela is very telling since, those who did so, have never denounced their own governments on multiple massacres committed under their watch. Another big effort was put together by the millionaire Richard Branson with the second Live Aid in 2019 [RT 25 Feb 2019].

We may think music is just entertainment, but government documents reveal otherwise. The public has been, and probably is still being manipulated, by a master plan of control of which we are not aware. In the mean time, those who dare to create real art that carries the expression of the people, will have to suffered the backlash of corporate interests, to say the least.