industry plant
- noun
- /ˈɪndəstri plænt/
- Offensive
:
artista fabricado por la industria (informal, ofensivo)
- He was accused of being an industry plant when it was revealed that his label heavily financed his early career.
It's the fact that it's so obviously such an industry plant, right, right.
- It's the fact that it's so obviously such an industry plant, right, right.
- Details came out, people were upset and the rumor became that she was a publishing industry plant, right?
Examples
-
Many fans were skeptical after discovering that the popular singer was actually an industry plant rather than a self-made artist.
-
Details came out, people were upset and the rumor became that she was a publishing industry plant, right?
-
The documentary shed light on how some artists are labeled as industry plants to boost their marketability.
How Independent
23
4.2
- Specialized
2
7.2
- Offensive
- Literature
227
3.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
If a learner knows 'industry' and the less common noun sense of 'plant' as a person secretly placed, they can plausibly infer someone 'planted' by the industry — i.e. an artist put in place or promoted by industry actors. However, the precise pop‑culture nuance (presented as independently successful to appear authentic) and the slangy, specialized use of 'plant' may not be fully predictable to an average B1 learner, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Industry plant starts from the image of a gardener who plants a plant and helps it grow, then shows it as if it grew on its own. One popular way to think about it is that a company 'plants' an artist and gives them money and help so they seem 'independent' and 'authentic', which is why the phrase means an artist backed by the industry but presented as having independent success.