How Is Music Streaming Screwing Over Artists? (feat. Aloe Blacc) | The Daily Show

Singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc and Daily Show senior writer Daniel Radosh join host Roy Wood Jr. to discuss the rise of music streaming, how it has driven record profits for the music industry, and how it’s leaving artists shortchanged. #DailyShow #BeyondTheScenes
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Trevor Noah and The Daily Show correspondents tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and pop culture.

[@NathanielJordan85]

Roy, that was classy jumping on that grenade after he backed himself into a corner trying to make his point. You are like the perfect host for these deep-dives.

[@lazyperfectionist1]

Tell me I'm not the only one who thinks the artists need to receive the majority of the revenue that comes in from this. I mean if _they_ don't get the majority of the revenue, making music will stop being their main focus. They will turn their focus to _other_ pursuits. Imagine a world with no music.

[@MichelSampson]

For how long has been BTS' ARMY calling this? And nobody would listen. We'd get hate for buying our favorite artist's music on daily basis, that their success is "inorganic" and only due to "mass buying". That we don't have the "GP" on our side who would stream their songs, ignoring the fact that streaming is not the main source of money for the artists. They call themselves fans, but when it comes to investing money from their own pockets to directly support their faves, they leave the conversation. And it must've been so hard for the artists lately because of the pandemic since they lost the income from touring... Yet a lot of people still only care about streaming numbers. I hope more artists speak up so that more people and fans finally realize the truth behind this whole system. And ARMY will just sit with a popcorn, legs on the table, and laugh because we've been a part of this movement for a long time. 🍿

[@TheFamousMockingbird]

What are you talking about? Do you literally think bts fans are the first advocates for better pay for artists? People have known ab it for a long time and hated record companies intensely bec of it. And your mass buying isn't fixing the problem because the payment structure is the same so you are just further enriching the corporation that created and owns bts in the first place

[@MichelSampson]

@@TheFamousMockingbird I never said we were the first ones to come up with it, just that we have acknowledged it and have been vocal about it. And BTS is not under a US label. Their company works a bit differently than the ones abroad, plus they even own a part of it.

[@tay4424]

Louder Sister 💜

[@alpacaparka1686]

Yes and they drag us and bts all the time too because most of our points for the charts come from song sales.

[@danielstein9791]

Thank you Mr. Wood, Jr., Mr. Noah, and the entire Daily Show team for doing this. This is taking the show to that next journalistic level and brings home that deep knowledge that Daily Show viewers and the public in general deserve and benefit from! Just great! Thank you!

[@jessicadaniel9853]

I bought BTS Butter, a single album, in July, Epik High is Here, in January (sounds terrific on my stereo), and BTS BE (also sounds terrific on my stereo) also in January. CDs sound terrific on a great stereo. I love buying and collecting music.

[@jessielam7099]

Ditto! I also bought the same albums as you. For fans of established artists, I think it's a no brainer to support our artists this way, but for independent artists, for new artists, for us to discover new music, it seems like we still have to go through these streaming services. Side note, I love that BTS still releases songs through soundcloud

[@zandratowns3531]

This is why ARMY scares the music industry. We buy albums point-blank. I buy CDs and downloads from their website. ARMYs pay for music!! That is our power move.

[@CamiloSantana]

@Chim Chim what the heck is army? Internet search draws a non military blank.

[@idmann17]

@Camilo Santana , I searched for "army bts" and got "Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth. But the bigger issue isn't just that people aren't paying for the music. It's that the money being paid isn't getting to the people making the music fairly. So it's great the ARMY is making people pay for the music but if the people making the music aren't being paid fairly, then BTS is in the same boat as other artists. The executives are going to make their money...

[@zandratowns3531]

@@idmann17 yes, ARMY is BTS 's fandom name. We ARMY in the US pay for their music via stores like Amazon Target and iTunes, as well as stream via Spotify and iTunes. And BTS isn't in the same boat as other artist because their company doesn't treat them like objects. Its another reason to fear BTS because their company supports them well, unlike a lot of other artists.

[@morphinpink]

@@idmann17 You're right in theory but the part of the puzzle that you're missing is that BTS' contract with their label isn't horrible. They built up their label from nothing and now they themselves own a % of the parent company that owns their label so in their case specifically, buying their music does go directly to them.

[@idmann17]

@@zandratowns3531 that's awesome for them...

[@antoinefdu]

The problem of music creators being forced to work with Spotify is the same as the problem of taxi cabs being forced to work with Uber, or the same as the problem of small retailers being forced to work with Amazon, or the problem of restaurants being forced to work with Deliveroo, etc. These companies reign supreme over their industry and their T&C are simply *the* rules that everyone has to follow. There is no alternative, because there is no competition.

[@sonar3108]

There are similarities, but I think the difference is that music is intellectual property while the rest of these are not.

[@lilmsmischief69]

Be mad at the recording labels. They are the real thieves.

[@jdmagicmusic]

always have been, always will be...

[@vampcaff]

Leave the labels, problem solved. Oh wait... record labels pay for these artist's recording studio and distribution costs which the artists can't afford those costs upfront and the artists complain about not getting every cent for their music.

[@NathanielJordan85]

There's a difference between saying 'record labels are taking more than their fair share of sales' and your hyperbolic strawman of 'all artists want 100% of sales, despite the startup and overhead costs.'

[@LilDusty5528]

Artists are ultimately workers for these companies and these workers have ALWAYS been very underpaid, this is not new. People feel like being an artist is okay because they are doing what they love meanwhile doing what they love is getting them fu*ked over just like almost every other job. Most companies don't pay their employees what they easily could pay them. They don't value the workers, they value what the workers make them.

[@vampcaff]

Work for yourself you make more money. Work for a corporation you make less money.

[@sonar3108]

As a musician, I very much do not consider myself a Spotify employee. Spotify is just one of many platforms through which I can share my art. It's more of a vendor-to-vendor relationship than an employer-client one since Spotify does not own the product, it merely distributes it.

[@LilDusty5528]

@@sonar3108 and yes while that is true, Spotify takes advantage of the artist. My boyfriend and I have this conversation often as he is a musician also and it makes me upset how very little all of these services are paying y’all. Just like IG for example, they’ll send him like $100-300 for a months worth of work and that is so unfair meanwhile what they probably made off the ads on his page is way more than that.

[@sonar3108]

@@LilDusty5528 Solidarity.

[@joeyslab9404]

I miss the Daily Show. This helps. Salute to the whole cast!

[@JamailvanWestering]

What happened to it?

[@Tessa_Gr]

@@JamailvanWestering I think Trevor Noah is currently on summer break, so the show should be back afterwards

[@HippieWings]

30:30. last album I purchased: BTS BE.... no, that's wrong. I bought BTS, The Best. BTS's recent Japanese album.

[@zy5992]

Labels especially major ones control the music industry. Labels pay radio stations to stream music and pay streaming platforms to put music on offical playlists to create better exposure. That's why most of the mainstream songs you hear are on repeat every 6 minutes and it gets extremely irritating. And worst of all, the ones who suffer are artists who are unable to afford such manipulative tactics or aren't established enough in the industry. In this pandemic, they have it even worse because they aren't making money off the streaming and can't do live performances. Even platforms like Tiktok aren't safe from such manipulation.

[@Tessa_Gr]

yes, wasn't there an article recently about how pretty much all songs that go viral on tiktok are chosen by the platform? It's not organic at all, and could obviously be very easily be bought. And Spotify has this new "discovery mode" where they advertise an artist's music if they agree to get less money per stream for it. So if Spotify recommends you music or makes playlists for you, you can't know what and how much of it was payed for by the artist. And of course there always was and probably always will be a big problem of payola in radio. It's not a system designed to be fair, it's a system to gain more money from labels wanting to make their artist bigger and in the end the artists pay for the promotion.

[@moshadriscoll8367]

💯

[@zy5992]

@@Tessa_Gr Yes I read about that it was very jarring. But it comes to no surprise considering how the Spotify creators themselves admitted to making the platform to profit themselves. It was never about the artists.

[@aureliere]

shook at the outright abuse of artists...wow...I am learning so much today about this subject.

[@oddlittleangel2383]

Kpop has been great at maintaining physical sales because of the collectibles included with the CD. Of course, there is only drive for those collectibles because listeners of kpop artists tend to be super fans rather than more casual listeners, and the collectibles are high quality. I wonder if mainstream western artists will start trying to move in that direction to increase profit from physical sales.

[@stressedmuffin4626]

Google bundles in western music. Western artists have been selling their albums as free gifts on merch. Giving away free carwashes and starbucks drinks for music purchases. So they already been doing that for a long time 🤷

[@jayelove1504]

I knew they weren't getting what they deserved, but they are actually getting robbed....there should be a law or laws against this... they should get paid all there money, minus on line distribution and advertisement.

[@sachin2842]

oh really then what u wanna give them all ur bank balance because they want it?

[@heartstations]

@@sachin2842 Do you have this same energy for purchasing someone’s artwork? Sometimes up to hundreds of dollars for a product of art that you have forever. That’s what you’re getting when you spend .69-2.00 per track. hardly your entire bank account. Buying music barely costs anything yet more of that money goes straight to artists whereas one stream gives them .004 of a cent. It’s just supporting the artists who give you their art, it’s the right thing to do in an age where they’re getting totally ripped off by the industry & have no power to rise against it bc streaming is what’s normalized these days.

[@sachin2842]

@@heartstations everyone's getting replaced with robots y should musicians have any partiality.

[@ninestories2]

Thanks for captioning these, Daily Show. 🖤 Love going Beyond The Scenes with Roy

[@casaofbts168]

then ppl get mad at fans (THAT MAKE THEIR OWN MONEY) buying their favs music....a loyal fanbase like army could never let bts go broke.......no wonder other artists beg their fans to stream

[@melindafoster6132]

The middle man is making a killing here! They could afford to be reasonable in paying the artist and still have a profit. They are just greedy!

[@lekholokoelekotsoanamoloi9593]

Yes

[@corgi42069]

I love Aloe Blacc! "I do" is something I sing to my daughter every day

[@rusgabriel1]

New favorite podcast! Roy My fellow Ram! Making me proud. As a musical artist trying to build a career, I sincerely thank all of you

[@aureliere]

Thank you all so much for this expose on the corruption of the streaming industry. It's just so annoying to know that I go out of my way to support smaller artists to see all of my sub money go to artists I could give two damns about. The paradigm for creatives HAS to change just like it needs to change for the supply chain of our favorite clothes, products, etc. I go out of my way to support up and coming brands that fight these systemic injustices.

[@raitakasa6847]

This is soo true. This is why ARMY's buy BTS songs both Physical and Digital.

[@GroovDiva]

Prince tried to warn us about this, even before home dial-up internet was cool! Moreover, he never changed his tune--he only updated it as new tech came out. Erykah Badu was one of the few artists who listened. Folk need to quit signing these predatory contracts & learn how this ties into the greater movement for workers' rights.

[@jimpark5410]

This is why I buy BTS's music - digital downloads and physical albums. And their physical albums are beautiful. And each album has a narrative arc.

[@rebeccalj6811]

Same, but with EXO and SuperM.

[@msde625]

I miss CDs. Being able to buy a CD, read the credits and play the entire CD without ANY commercials is great. I bought many CDs on sale. And I can make my own mixed cd with ONLY THE SONGS I LIKE.

[@BookNerd4Music]

Agreed with other comment. We kpop fans (i'm not an army but) buy CDs/Downloads, yet still if fans actually look at what the artist makes, it does not make them that much. The money that goes into both is not enough for the people giving us joy into our daily lives. thank you Aloe Blacc for speaking up.

[@treeeva]

Something I didn't know before this video also was there seems to be no physical effort nowadays to be a label company. This needs to be verified and, look, I'm all for everyone making as much money as they can, but this gap in artists paid for their intellectual property and what the label company keeps has been an issue seemingly forever-long before the digital age There must be a way to balance this without the "consumer" charged a rate they can no longer justify paying. Thank you for a great podcast.

[@gospel3067]

The midnight release sales are where I got most of my cds in college. I'm one of few ppl in my circle that still has a major cd collection & spoiler all my tapes. To play them I still have a stereo that plays tapes & cds. Also sound quality is way better on CDs than on streaming platforms.

[@creestee08]

Lol

[@treeeva]

I waited to hear what I can afford to continue to hear whatever I'm in the mood to hear through Google / KZbin music, yet support the artists better... "Hey Google. Play Bill Withers top 10 hits" " Got it. Bill Withers playing on KZbin music. " I pay through Google Play, a monthly premium of something like $13 a month (I'm taxed) for this. I learned a lot, but mainly I learned this will be complicated to balance.

[@alisondiaz1026]

I will agree that the musicians should be paid more for their music online.

[@Tick421]

i dont think charging the users a la carte is the solution, but i fully agree they should get paid more. The platform and labels are over charging for their share.

[@bernie6485]

No get a real job

[@Tick421]

@@bernie6485 professional musician has been a thing for literally thousands of years kid Why don't you get a real job

[@NT-ev2wl]

I love having CD and I don't use streaming at all! A CD is an art itself and the artist put music in the way they want us to listen to. When I like artists, I like them by album. As a music fan, I like to LIKE artists, not just single song and not knowing what else they wrote. You can say that I'm not up to the speed of the world, but hey, I don't have to do what everyone does just because that's how it is run in the world!

[@micheleeccleston4444]

This is an issue that needs to be shouted from the rooftops. I don't think the average person knows that this is an issue. Maybe musicians can do a form of protest showing the world how they are being taken advantage of by Spotify and some of the other streaming services. Many Americans still remember the days when artists could become millionaires over one cd. They do not realize how little artists and producers actually make off their work.

[@shrifa6607]

it was a long way that more people and artists SPEAKS about this topic. I hope that more artists do the same

[@TheFamousMockingbird]

They have before, this is not new thing. Record companies have been hated for decades

[@justadad6677]

Have a streaming service that charge $5 per month for unlimited streaming. Take a low admin fee and divide the rest of each subscriber divided into the streams they use. Support the artist, by being less greedy.

[@Tick421]

PLEASE keep posting these they are great!

[@TheMarianaaShark]

I can totally understand free subscription being at minimum ¢50 but whenever I'm paying for a subscription example KZbin music $10+ I expect at least some of the money I paid to go towards the artist I stream

[@LittleSailboat]

Loved this deep dive! Hope we move towards more solutions!

[@sarabangtan07]

Without a label to push the track to radio and to paid playlists on streaming platforms AND/OR a fanbase to buy the track or album, it’s almost impossible to achieve placement on charts and achieve widespread success. Both radio and streaming services exploit artists with the help of their labels (with some exceptions when artists are backed by a sizable fanbase and the label work with the artists: a key example being BTS).

[@Tessa_Gr]

That's why it's so great when fans do the promotion for the artist. So many labels use illegal tactics like payola so having a supportive fanbase is great to make up for a label not choosing to do anything illegal.

[@sonar3108]

Labels are becoming less and less relevant, which is why they have decided to corner streaming.

[@amylou22snowhite]

My husband and I collect very nerdy and niche vinyl that’s played often. I bought Jon Baptise’s new album on vinyl. But now, I need a digital for the car.

[@CamiloSantana]

do your research. record companies were fine during and post napster. what they lost was *CONTROL* ... and that is unacceptable in a shareholder capitalism-dominant society

[@jwn0be]

Glad that I didn't miss this one, and the original episode. You researched something that I was wondering about, so thank you!

[@melindafoster6132]

I boycot streaming services! Even when you buy play lists they can migrate and you loose what you bought .

[@erinerin561]

Roy, you're my favorite comedian and now favorite podcaster!!!

[@notfunnybutfunny7333]

Kpop they have a concept photo album with a poster

[@notfunnybutfunny7333]

At least kpop been doing this since the beginning and we the fans love it.

[@Pschokid]

Streaming has made me listen more to music in a way that artist get paid. I still buy CDs from my favourite artist and now I stream both my faves and other artist I like instead of downloading. I even listen more new artist I would never come across without Spotify because you don't slow down the internet speed by getting random music

[@gailseatonhumbert9199]

This was great. Thank you.

[@lisaloki5337]

Roy how i love you! Great episode. 💛💛💛👏👏👏

[@kianunu7754]

This is why I buy CDs or just pay for the song until substantial changes happen in the music industry. I think my most recent CD purchase was from NCT.

[@doggytheanarchist7876]

I haven't bought an album since... That one where Pink just got divorced. I forget the name.

[@gspoiler]

Much like with Steam and Netflix in order to fight piracy is to make a service that delivers such a better experience for the end user. One thing streaming could do is a make more of push to promote buying the songs and albums along with streaming. As I think the appeal were things like Pandora's "radio" and Spotify playlists. And delivering high quality audio on demand is very convenient.

[@sherrydiaz5285]

Radio and streaming platforms especially spotify are in collusion with record labels and artists don't get paid fairly from these platforms. They artificially create "consumption" when actually they are feeding the market. This is why #1 streamed songs by artists in the US can't sell 750 tickets or only sell 11k digital songs. The only credible consumption is when fans or listeners actively choose the song from a streaming platform and not listen to it on a curated playlist, buy their digital and physical songs and album and touring and this is the only way artists can really get paid well.

[@mlggamer5296]

I agree the accessibility of music is very helpful. now I can finally listen to albums that I've been dying to but then I couldn't afford money or too much money cuz it cost a lot so like I said a blessing but at the same time a curse in the case of what the artistes are getting

[@finaldestination513]

Music is life and life is music. #aviciiforever #stringtheory

[@donuthog]

Isn't string theory a physics thing with no relation to music?

[@Dayandcounting]

The joke Back in medieval times, a poor man was walking through the marketplace in Akşehir in Turkey one day. He noticed the delicious smell coming from the stall of a grilled meat vendor, and felt very hungry. Although he could not afford any meat, he went over to the stall and took a few pieces of bread from his pocket and held them in the smoke coming from the grill, then ate them. As he was leaving, the vendor said, “Hey, you owe me for that!” The poor man refused to pay, and a heated argument developed. To settle the dispute, they agreed to see the local magistrate, Nasreddin Hoca, who was renowned as a wise and holy man. Nasreddin listened to both men’s argument, and then said to the poor man: “Give me your purse.” The poor man was surprised, but handed over all his money. The bag contained a few dozen coins of little value. Hoca emptied them onto the table. “Did you hear the sound of the coins?” he asked the vendor. “Yes,” the vendor replied. Nasreddin put the coins back into the purse and handed it back to the poor man. He turned to the vendor to give his judgement: “The price of smoke is the sound of coins. You sold smoke, and in return you heard the sound of the money. You have now been paid in full.” Give the music away for free, make the money from live shows and merch. The music is the artist advertisement cost.

[@jeremysanchez5545]

Talking about passive income and investment I'll go with Cryptocurrency.

[@evelynhannah3147]

Most intelligent words I've heard.

[@jeffreychristopher8174]

Crypto is the new gold

[@annabellemichelle2376]

I've got interest in investing but afraid of doing it on my own to avoid loss from my end

[@annabellemichelle2376]

I've got interest in investing but afraid of doing it on my own to avoid loss from my end

[@frankmiller3009]

That's why you need the help of a professional who understand the market and how it works very well

[@jdmagicmusic]

yeah i remember the 1st bit you did on this! this is important, as always us artists are getting ripped off!!!

[@Ash_Unknown8]

Favorite comedian && host!

[@mrlegend5482]

What about audio NFTs? That could be a solution!

[@rabtechtutorialvideo]

The first video of it's kind probably ever! Great job Sir. Love from CA

[@tysonweissenfluh-wilson4262]

Are they not uploading opening monologues anymore? Feels like it’s been forever since I’ve see a video just Trevor

[@TheGlassesPush]

Trevor's on summer break! He'll be back in about a month, I think?

[@deadheadwannabe6874]

They were not getting what they deserved with the record labels either..

[@emreisiklar]

One problem is also it is dirt cheap service, you have all the music in your phone for a 10$! It was a price for a single CD, consumers liked the price wars and entry level prices and this is an effect on the artist.

[@SR-dy5zm]

I still buy cds. $15 to own the album forever is really not at all bad.

[@Leo_Lionhart]

I never streamed any musics on any of those platforms since a few years ago. If I like the songs, I just purchase a digital copy of it.

[@idacoetzee]

Also don’t wanna pay every time I play a song, buy the music, have it for ever.

[@MalBeats]

It costs more to put my albums on the various streaming platforms than I could ever make from them. The big money comes from licensing for artists nowadays getting your music into tv films and video games.

[@mctog3653]

Should further investigation the entertainment industry.

[@TrailWalker03]

Roy Wood Jr. has serious journalist chops.

[@nomadiccleric5672]

Patreons too. Smaller artists will have them. Keep them doing their stuff even in dry spells

[@marcellus.minniefield]

Not everyone can afford things others can people need to take far to account as well but i agree perhaps everyone can agree to have a balance

[@Labor_Jones]

In Austin Texas the Bumper Stickers are, *"Real Musicians have a Day Job."* ... Now it's just Business pure and simple... and the men & women who put widgets together Never Get the Fruits of their Labor and it's true of most Artist too.

[@AndrewsOpinion15]

HAPPY 43TH BIRTHDAY ALOE BLACC !!!!

[@heartstations]

Personally I think it’s beyond strange to question fans for how much money they want to invest in artists to support them. Especially in an age where each single is as as low as $0.69 upon release. This isn’t even about charting anymore, it’s about what artists deserve as compensation to their art, when you now own an mp3 that you can listen to infinitely. As an artist (as in painting, drawing etc) I find it totally normal to want to support the art by paying what it’s worth. Even aside from charting, that means giving more than is asked in an industry that undervalues the art & refuses to properly pay artists. Streaming shouldn’t have to be so harmful, & radio shouldn’t have to be so slimy, yet they are & thus it’s up to fans to show up for artists if we are able & compensate in a world that is normalizing their starvation. In the art realm, if I purchase an artwork from an artist that is asking far lower than they should, I’m going to tip them extra. This is pretty expected as a polished professional artist & it’s sad to see that same energy isn’t shared in the music realm. Instead we see people running around claiming that fan purchases are “inorganic” as if the radio repeating a song 3-4x an hour isn’t a sign of an under-the-table deal leading back to labels. Sorry but I refuse to feel guilty when publications such as Billboard question the legitimacy of music purchases when there are a myriad of insidious reasons that the industry has created itself to make the game the way it is. Because charting is a game, ppl just won’t talk about it & try to keep all the payola and shadiness under wraps. & this idea that fans buying songs isn’t as “organic” as streams or radio has only furthered this sinister cycle of artists being underpaid & forgotten. I for one won’t be a part of it. I will purchase the full 4 versions that Billboard itself allows, and any remixes that come after it, because at the end of the day what I’m buying is music that I love, & the money is going to the artist. I will do so with all the artists I enjoy & support & in hopes that they can continue to express themselves through music. Creatives just cannot sustain themselves off of the cut of the money they make from streaming alone. Each spotify stream gives .004 of a cent, how anyone could call that ethical is beyond me.

[@ChicoCabra]

It's funny Roy says he hasn't bought any records since 2004, meanwhile his background has a nice record player on display and a few stacked records. Maybe this takes us back to his whole spiel about pre-arranged bookshelves. Is the show guilty of that but with records?

[@emreisiklar]

Mind opening, thank you

[@debraonger282]

I do own CD's

[@demitasse22]

This is why I ALWAYS buy merch

[@mariannatheron7363]

Yes, Musicians/Writers, get rid of the record companies(middle man!!), promote your songs yourselves!!

[@lexruptor]

You know what's actually hurting artists? Not being able to have a platform to start an audience. Anything claiming it'll help is either bots, or it's expensive af, or, and this is the worst cuz it affects the most valuable and useful of tools, the prerequisite of having such and such (usually 10k) followers first, which is ofc bs if you're new talent trying to get yourself out there, like I don't know 10k people do you?

[@Iamkayceebrown]

Exactly

[@mkilptrick]

Maybe musicians could form there own platform

[@notfunnybutfunny7333]

Not paying attention to the past is like going under diddy label in 2021

[@blekenbleu]

Ace piece of work here

[@Pschokid]

03:45 Never trust a person with a disorganised bookshelf 😱 Books are precious and should be taken well care of. That's why they deserve to shine in the bookshelf

[@demitasse22]

Nooo!! Basically though, it’s whatever you want

[@8arrows]

Scientist developed a magnetic tape that can hold Terabytes of recorded music. Can’t wait until cassettes make a comeback! Just so u know. Every tv show. Tape their show still on magnetic tape,used in VHS

[@ejbeastthamaker]

I DO believe that there is a tech solution to this. Money talks and the big players pay just to get people on their platforms so I believe its a platform thing. Blockchain based platforms can really stand out here and give the big dogs a scare just like Napster did back in the day. In the meantime, treat music like a business and provide value to fans I. Ways that's not just musical cause the elites own that.

[@_robinrook]

The tough truth ✌️

[@lindiwehlatshwayo8105]

$43 billion? That has to be the understatement of that year. Let's try trillions guys.

[@sicilianmammalian]

You can get a cd drive that plugs into usb

[@mlggamer5296]

Huh that actually doesn't sound that bad. Pay the artist accordingly like they're paid when they sell the record on the radio. That would make a lot more sense especially since I've been one who's explored Spotify and I found that there is a feature that you listen to a particular artist so for example I listen to a lot of Dababy or Migos so they have a feature where you see Dababy radio or Migos radio. So I would imagine that that's how they should be paid but clearly they are not

[@PaulHo]

Woof. Think about how much artists are making then think about how much Joe Rogan is making on Spotify. ☠

[@MajorHenryL.]

Who here remembers the Napster wars against Metallica?

[@jenniferforte8273]

We have to boycott streaming until they listen smfh

[@chuckbury2102]

As a musician I found it unethical to throw myself into the music business growing up. I don't play anymore, but if I did, it'd be local only. As stable as that would be. Lol

[@notfunnybutfunny7333]

Tech9 lives on the road. Covid would be the only thing to stop his touring

[@mlggamer5296]

What they should do right while streaming is both a blessing and a curse to change it from being a curse why don't they just regulate it so that artistes get at least 25% of the cut. In my opinion should be 50% because I mean if they wrote the song and the label just promoted it, it should be 50/50

[@giantnanomachine]

Which artist though? Who still counts at artist, who as technician, who as overhead/management? Songwriter? Singer? The three studio musicians? The audio guy that does the post production and mixing? The engineer that designed the recording studio setup? The engineer that developed the microphone the other engineer used in the setup? The designer of the album cover? The script writer for the ad campaign? The person that decorates the studio and office break rooms? EVERYTHING, including songs, that is made nowadays is made by at minimum dozens and more realistically thousands of people. You can always discuss who should get how big a piece of the cake. But 25% is most likely way beyond reasonable.

[@mlggamer5296]

@@giantnanomachine well I mean if you wrote the song and performed it you should get at least 25% it's only fair right? You had the most output out of them. Not saying the other guys aren't important, cuz they are, it's just that $0.04 per stream that's way below pay grade especially for a singer and songwriter

[@giantnanomachine]

@@mlggamer5296 Spotify expects a total revenue in 2021 of about 9 billion Euros. 25% of that is 2.25 billion. It also expects a profit of about 250 million. So if 25% is supposed to go to the musicians, someone has to come up with the missing 2 billion. Pocket change, right? Ofc my calculation is wrong because I don't know how much artists currently get, so it wouldn't be an increase from 0 to 25% of revenue. But still, 25% is just a completely ludicrous number if you know anything about business.

[@mlggamer5296]

@@giantnanomachine remember they also have to pay those same people you were mentioning so everybody gets something. So it is indeed a fair shake

[@giantnanomachine]

@@mlggamer5296 I think you don't get the main point. Maybe you're not so familiar with terms like revenue, gross and operational profit, ... So let me simplify it: If Spotify would give 25% of the money they earn from subscribers and "I like ads" listeners to the artists, Spotify would cease to exist because they would be running at a multi-billion dollar per year loss.

[@mlggamer5296]

I know wake me up. So I do know aloe blacc I just didn't know it was him who sang it but I've heard the song

[@giantnanomachine]

I get that there's something wrong with the system. But the prices dreamed up by the artists are delusional as well. Spotify is $10 per month. At 20min of streaming music per day, which is a very, very low amount, that's about 250 songs per month, which is 4 cents per stream. A quarter or less is probably way more realistic. Think about how many songs you listen to each day on your commute or at your desk job. And from that you have to pay for the operating and maintenance costs of the streaming service, software development, IT security, marketing, payment providers, management overhead, both streaming services and record labels wanting to make profit, ... Spotify is not a charity. Record labels aren't either. If you think your songs are worth more than you're getting, create your own indie label. Host your own streaming service. Set your own price. Truth is, when it comes down to the wire, a single stream isn't worth more. The only thing that can (and needs) to be tuned is who gets how big a part of the cake, but the cake won't magically get larger cause "it would be more fair", "it's worth more", or "I'm not making minimum wage".

[@jellyj1696]

Well, that was sort of insightful regarding what other side might have to say, thanks.

[@hopevalintine4454]

what you need is the BTS army, we have already started this movement lol

[@LoveandJustice2]

Great podcast. Very informative.

[@brianmyers8785]

it's not streaming, it's stealing.

[@TitoTimTravels]

Nope. We pay for streaming. If the companies need to adjust how/who they pay, then adjust it. They make plenty of money and need to get a more fair payment structure. If streaming gets too expensive... then you will see stealing. 😎

[@admerin6961]

Wait, that guy is Avicii?

[@strabefie1977]

No, that's Aloe Blacc. He works with Avicii who died in 2018.

[@admerin6961]

@@strabefie1977 I did not realize Aloe sang the song. I Literally never heard his name mentioned anytime I heard it on the radio. That is a bit annoying.