I really like Aimee Mann’s music, but her recent interview in which she gave her views on streaming music bothered me. “My record isn’t on Spotify,” Mann told the Telegraph. “People may be outraged, but artists don’t make money from Spotify.”
Artists don’t make money from Spotify. A phrase that crystallises what may be the most important debate in the history of digital music: whether streaming music services can pay off for artists – and more widely, whether they can turn a profit and build a sustainable business for themselves and the music industry.
It bothered me, because it was just tossed out there with no backup. Why does Mann believe that? What data is she working from? As an artist who set up her own label some time ago and has blazed an independent path since, Mann should have an informed view, but details were frustratingly absent from that particular interview.
Leaving that piece aside, though, far too much of the public debate around streaming music services and artist payouts is dominated by gut feeling, partiality and Chinese whispers. What’s needed is more proper data and informed opinion.
So, I gathered some.
A quick note before diving into it: this article isn’t trying to prove that streaming is marvellous or dreadful for artists. It’s not taking sides. Some of the pieces referenced below are heavily critical of Spotify and streaming payouts, others are very supportive, and others are simply trying to get to the bottom of the actual numbers.
The point: spend an hour or two reading all these pieces, and you’ll hopefully have a lot more information to base your own opinions on. It’s something I intend to keep updated too, so if you’ve seen an article or data you think should be included, post a link in the comments section, so it can be incorporated into the piece.
On with the show!
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Continua qui: http://musically.com/2013/02/13/streaming-music-screwing-artists/