Who is Taylor Swift really hurting?
It was big (?well, maybe not really) news when Taylor Swift pulled her music from Spotify.
I'll have to admit that I haven't bothered to read all the detail from Taylor Swift, her record label or from Spotify's CEO. But, when has not being well informed prevented anyone from writing an opinion on a blog? Hey, I'm a big picture guy. I have a good understanding of the issues. (If it seems to you that I don't - I'm also a fairly open minded person and appreciate being corrected when I am wrong - leave a comment.)
I absolutely agree that artists should be paid more!!! Let's take that a step further - more artists should be paid more!
I am an artist. I make music. Spotify plays my music*. I get paid (okay, yeah - almost nothing)
But, I'm still happy that my music is available on Spotify.
I'm little uncomfortable defending Spotify**. But there's little doubt that music streaming will continue. There are a lot of people who predict that streaming music is the future; people won't buy music when all of the music in the world is available anywhere all of the time. I'd rather support Spotify's way of sourcing music because it is better for both artists and fans.
I suppose it should be said that Spotify is often singled out; they are not the only streaming service around. It should also be pointed out that the music available on Spotify is based on a different business model than Pandora***. We don't hear about Taylor Swift pulling her music from Pandora - because she can't. (They operate under a "compulsory" license, right?)
Pandora would probably point out that they 'curate' the music. But, (sorry Payola (just kidding), err Pandora) I want to decide for myself what is good or bad. I have a better chance of discovering something new on Spotify at least partly because they curate differently and don't limit what is available.
I suppose the desired result is to get more people to actually buy Taylor Swift's music. That's great for Taylor Swift, her record label and the people who enjoy Taylor Swift's music. I'm happy for all of them.
On the other hand, if the result of Taylor Swift pulling her music from Spotify is that more people go to Pandora; I think that is bad for unknown artists and bad for people who want to discover and support new artists and new concepts in music****.
Perhaps it's idealistic to think that in art, specifically music that the business is about something more than the bottom line. As an artist I'm inclined to want to see people doing the same thing I do succeed. I'm sure I'm not alone. (I guess that's why artists hire managers but that's the subject for another blog.)
I wish for Taylor Swift continued success in her music career. I think if she met me (even though admittedly, my music is not for everyone) she'd wish me success too.
*I suppose I should say, I choose to distribute my music to Spotify so that people who might enjoy my music can hear it. I rarely perform in public. Mostly, I distribute my music only online. My hope is that some people will really like it. Maybe some people will become fans. Maybe some will actually buy it.
**Like I said, "I am an artist." Not a popular artist and therefore a starving artist. I really want to be paid more. I really want to be paid fairly for songwriting and publishing. I also want to continue to have the freedom to do things my own way.
***It should also be pointed out that Pandora is not the only internet-based radio station and licensing for radio is different than streaming.
****Remember Spotify isn't the only music streaming/discovery service. They all use some kind of model to decide what music to present listeners. Some models are better than others at giving listeners a way to control the discovery process. As a listener I'd like to have more control over how music is chosen for me - for example, let me choose to hear things nobody else is listening to.
I'll have to admit that I haven't bothered to read all the detail from Taylor Swift, her record label or from Spotify's CEO. But, when has not being well informed prevented anyone from writing an opinion on a blog? Hey, I'm a big picture guy. I have a good understanding of the issues. (If it seems to you that I don't - I'm also a fairly open minded person and appreciate being corrected when I am wrong - leave a comment.)
I absolutely agree that artists should be paid more!!! Let's take that a step further - more artists should be paid more!
I am an artist. I make music. Spotify plays my music*. I get paid (okay, yeah - almost nothing)
But, I'm still happy that my music is available on Spotify.
I'm little uncomfortable defending Spotify**. But there's little doubt that music streaming will continue. There are a lot of people who predict that streaming music is the future; people won't buy music when all of the music in the world is available anywhere all of the time. I'd rather support Spotify's way of sourcing music because it is better for both artists and fans.
I suppose it should be said that Spotify is often singled out; they are not the only streaming service around. It should also be pointed out that the music available on Spotify is based on a different business model than Pandora***. We don't hear about Taylor Swift pulling her music from Pandora - because she can't. (They operate under a "compulsory" license, right?)
Pandora would probably point out that they 'curate' the music. But, (sorry Payola (just kidding), err Pandora) I want to decide for myself what is good or bad. I have a better chance of discovering something new on Spotify at least partly because they curate differently and don't limit what is available.
Back to the headline - Taylor Swift pulled her music from Spotify
I suppose the desired result is to get more people to actually buy Taylor Swift's music. That's great for Taylor Swift, her record label and the people who enjoy Taylor Swift's music. I'm happy for all of them.
On the other hand, if the result of Taylor Swift pulling her music from Spotify is that more people go to Pandora; I think that is bad for unknown artists and bad for people who want to discover and support new artists and new concepts in music****.
Perhaps it's idealistic to think that in art, specifically music that the business is about something more than the bottom line. As an artist I'm inclined to want to see people doing the same thing I do succeed. I'm sure I'm not alone. (I guess that's why artists hire managers but that's the subject for another blog.)
I wish for Taylor Swift continued success in her music career. I think if she met me (even though admittedly, my music is not for everyone) she'd wish me success too.
*I suppose I should say, I choose to distribute my music to Spotify so that people who might enjoy my music can hear it. I rarely perform in public. Mostly, I distribute my music only online. My hope is that some people will really like it. Maybe some people will become fans. Maybe some will actually buy it.
**Like I said, "I am an artist." Not a popular artist and therefore a starving artist. I really want to be paid more. I really want to be paid fairly for songwriting and publishing. I also want to continue to have the freedom to do things my own way.
***It should also be pointed out that Pandora is not the only internet-based radio station and licensing for radio is different than streaming.
****Remember Spotify isn't the only music streaming/discovery service. They all use some kind of model to decide what music to present listeners. Some models are better than others at giving listeners a way to control the discovery process. As a listener I'd like to have more control over how music is chosen for me - for example, let me choose to hear things nobody else is listening to.
