‘A working-class hero is something to be.’ Even coming from a man less steeped in irony than John Lennon, it should never have been possible to take this statement sincerely. But more than half a century after the ex-Beatle released his thoughts on the straitjacket of class, rock fans continue to take Lennon at his word. 

How else to interpret the musings of people like Rick Beato? As YouTube’s most notable music critic, the white-haired rock musician and producer has become the latest figure to bewail the dominance of rich kids in the music business.  

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‘When I do these top 10 countdowns on Spotify, I go back after I make the video and I look at the artists and I see what their background is,’ Beato says. ‘And invariably the artists that are popular – almost all of them – are from wealthy parents and work with professional songwriters.’ 

It’s an observation that has become obvious to music fans in recent years. Taylor Swift – by some measure the most popular musician of all time – is only the foremost example of wealthy parents buying their kids a golden ticket to the music business. Swift’s financier father Scott reportedly ploughed six figures into the........

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