Hydrgnc

A bit like Hydragenic, but shorter and much more random

Sep 2 2011

“The income streams to the artists are affected massively and therefore that accelerates the downward spiral, which eventually will lead to artists not being able to record music the way it should be recorded.”

Metal Blade Records Pulls Music Off Spotify - hypebot

I’m convinced that this is a genuine issue. You don’t make music on releases these days, seems to be the general consensus, you make it on touring. Except you don’t; touring tends to break even or make a loss. You make it on the merch you sell when touring. And you don’t sell as many CDs as you might, when people can listen for free on Spotify. T-shirt sales? Fine for certain artists, but not for everyone.

I’m not blaming Spotify for the failings of the music industry in general, or a lack of imagination in the case of specific artists/management, just saying that even if you do have some kind of vague clue, Spotify’s one of the things that seems to make your life harder rather than easier. I’m not convinced that the upsides (increased visibility, “try before you buy”, etc.) are adequate compensation for that.