The Machine Behind the Music Industry

I remember a few years ago I was at the barber shop and we were all watching the Come Up DVD. My barber told me I had to see and hear this new girl (well he just wanted me to see her, but I was interested in listening as well). I'm sure everyone in the shop all agreed that she was acceptable eye candy, but it wasn't her image that stood out to me, but more of her personality. She came across very tough, with a hardcore charismatic attitude. Im not going to lie, I didn't think she was going to make it, just because she sounded like the rest of the female rappers (to me, at least) out there like Trina and Remy Ma to name a few. Here's the interview from the Come Up:

Then, I came across this video, which was an interview from a few months ago:

Notice a difference? You tell me...

Now with my experience within the music industry I can probably say it's not her that decided to change the way she spoke or conducted an interview, but the label execs and management telling her to move in a "different direction." Don't get me wrong, I think the Nicki in the second video is definitely more marketable and appealing (she's a little more detached, weird. This attracts interest because of a sort of mystique about her), but I just think its funny how labels always try to change their artists to "fit." But then I stopped laughing and quickly realized that this is the music BUSINESS and all businesses goals' are to generate revenue and maximize profits. The labels are the banks supplying the money needed for an artists promotion and albums, so when they release a new product i.e "Nicki Minaj", its done the same way as any other company would market their product. They use psychological variables, cultural social variables, technological and legal variables and the four P's (price, place, promotion, product) to develop a marketing mix and ultimately find the target market. I mean we saw the same thing with Pink. I don't quite remember what exactly happened, but long story short the label wanted Pink to do the opposite of what she wanted, so she left and did her own thing. So, the labels are providing all the money, all the promotion, but does this give them the right to tell you how to dress? how to speak? to change?

All I'm saying, especially now with music, and hip hop going in a new and different direction, don't think an artist seems so original because that's just who they are. Ultimately in the long run, they (label and artist and managers) need to make money, and if the label wants a certain mold to be fit, chances are it will. By no means am I saying these arists are fake, but they are entertainers. Would you turn down $2 mill to sign a contract?