Scott Dudelson/Getty Images; John Shearer/Getty Images; Amy E. Price/Getty Images
In late March, a new Instagram account believed to belong to Young Thug called @UyScutiiiiii posted a picture of Young Thug holding a Miami Heat jersey, with “Uy Scuti” on the back. The post’s caption read: “Today.” Fans began speculating about a possible Thug album dropping later that night. Even though there was no new album, the mysterious account is part of a growing trend in music. Whereas an artist purging their Instagram used to be the bat signal that a new era was loading, it seems like the market is shifting towards so-called “finsta” accounts made for core fans.
A “finsta,” short for fake Instagram, or a private Instagram account created so the owner can post the most unrestrained version of themselves outside the view of family and employers. Most people keep their finstas secret, as concealed debauchery is the point. But it’s becoming a public addendum to artists’ marketing rollout. A few days after Thug’s supposed finsta post, an Instagram account named @kikiboyyyyyyy popped up, and online sleuths noticed that it was followed by Frank Ocean’s @blonded account as well as SZA. In addition to Thug and (possibly) Frank Ocean, a host of prominent acts have created alternate accounts recently. Everyone from Drake to Kendrick Lamar, Playboi Carti, Pharrell, and Lil Yachty.
Rather than make an announcement via a verified account, press release, or other traditional marketing method, these accounts express exactly what they want to an audience that understands the fragmented communication style of the extremely online.
Michael “Big Sto” Stover has worked with artists on their marketing for over 12 years. He says he feels like finstas help artists create a direct bond with their core fans — figuring out the correct amount of “I’s” or “Y’s” to access their accounts feels like a veritable password that only serious fans would care to decipher. “I feel like that breeds a way different relationship than through the label,” he says.
Ka5sh, the viral influencer and rapper who famously exposed how labels engineered certain memes in order to help their artists go viral, says the finsta is merely another form of marketing that’s not fooling him: “I just feel like I’m being sold the same thing in a different room and it doesn’t make me feel like I’m more connected to the artist.” He says the use of finstas came about because of artists looking to protect their “aura.”
“In order to maintain aura, you can’t post a bunch and do the things that are mandatory for a regular artist to promote an album,” he says. That’s the case for Kendrick Lamar, whose @jojoruski account shows more personality than his strictly business @kendricklamar account. The finsta contains photos of the rapper, a random picture of men with unique haircuts (with no caption), and a viral clip of him exercising in Compton. “The minute Kendrick posts anything on his main account, it’s going to explode, and people are going to start making assumptions,” Stover says. “But on another account, he can be more personable and put stuff out without it immediately getting judged and people talking about Drake in the comments.”
But Ka5sh feels like artists should think twice about being so accessible. “I think that in order to maintain being an artist, there should be a barrier,” he says. “We know too much about artists now.”
Mystery vs. relatability is a matter of personal preference for audiences today. Playboi Carti has historically had a scarce online presence, which disappointed his terminally online fanbase. His verified @playboicarti account has three posts. But he posted on his label’s @opium_00pium account throughout the rollout for his latest album, Music. The more candid posts on the page give Carti fans a glimpse into his personality and interests. He also posted several songs on the page, circumventing the traditional DSP release and rewarding the fans devoted enough to follow his alternate account. Ka5sh said Carti’s finsta drops represent the best possible usage. ”Instead of putting [the songs] on DSPs immediately, you could only experience them on that finsta,” he says. “Delaying the instant gratification is really good because we’re hyper-consuming stuff all the time.”
Other artists have debuted music on their finsta, too. Last June, Drake created a @plotttwistttt Instagram account and posted a link to his 100 gig reserve of behind-the-scenes video footage as well as three new songs. Stover says that he’s worked with indie artists who’ve considered making alternate accounts to host projects that were distinctly different from their traditional sound. The new account allows an artist’s fans to choose whether they want to follow the pivot.
The music industry is a copycat game, and both Stover and Ka5sh agree that in time, labels will emulate Drake, Kendrick, and Carti by pushing artists to implement a finsta into their rollout. “I think that’s going to be the method for most major artists,” Ka5sh says. “I feel like there’s a lot of different ways that you can do it that can make [fans] feel like [they’re] actually a part of this rollout. So then whenever the thing drops, you’ll support it even more because you built this brick by brick.”
Stover views finsta accounts as a less intensive way to engage fans. “Every time all these big names post anything, it’s getting run through a million different magnifying glasses. I think having an account like that allows you to be free a bit more and not have to be in these tight regulations, not just of the label, but also the algorithm.”
Still, Ka5sh feels like the rise of finstas is part of a bigger problem: the pressure on artists to give even more of themselves to the public. “It’s not a sustainable method at all. And again, it’s just going to be at the cost of an artist’s mental health, which is one thing that [record labels] do not care about,” he says. “You’re allowing yourself to be so consumed, but then you don’t get a chance to be a person because you’re selling this branded consumer version of yourself.”
From Rolling Stone US.
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