By: Jade Jones
Published February 4, 2022
Before we hop into this subject, ponder this: when was the last time you listened to music via CD or vinyl? When was the last time you purchased these items, and from where? Interesting.
Streaming services play a large role in how music and other digital media (podcasts, radio shows, etc..) are distributed to listeners, actively helping the music industry evolve. They allow an artist's work to be shared to billions of people at a time with the press of a button, and give musicians a way to track their exposure and progress among fans in a convenient way. They are also included in the number of albums sold (150 streams = 1 album sale, according to Billboard).This all sounds great, right? So what's the problem?
To put it simply, streaming services do not always play fair when it comes to sharing the artists' work. Many of the algorithms set in place do not benefit new or more underground artists, lowering their chance of exposure and thus forcing the artists to rely on fans and those in their corner to make it a fair fight. Bands also deal with extremely low pay rates on their creations. For in-demand services such as Spotify, the average pay per stream is $0.004 per stream; for Apple Music, it is approximately $0.005. There are other smaller services available such as Tidal and Deezer, but these are far less common. What money a band does make via stream plays is then divided among band, management, other musicians included in the song(s), leaving the artist with less than they expected.
Artists routinely have issues collecting their properly owned revenue from record companies as well. Many deal with distribution and pricing issues, and being hostage on unreasonable contracts that prevent them from exiting gracefully. Hundreds of artists have gotten bad deals: Prince, TLC, Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), The Beatles, and the list goes on. Now, slowly but surely, musicians are becoming more aware of how these contracts work, what they're being offered, and how to work the system in their favor.
(We digress). Streaming services aren't all bad, contrary to the unfortunate circumstances mentioned earlier. They allow artists to release music closer to the deadline of their album release dates if they so choose, thus making last minute submissions not only possible, but a regular occurrence. Streaming does, in spite of algorithmic issues, encourage people to listen to artists that they wouldn't purchase and album from. For example, if they only like a few songs by a particular band, but they are absolutely in love with those songs, they can still support the artist without paying anything. As avid music listeners ourselves, if we bought an album from every single artist we love and support, we'd be broke. As well as this, albums aren't nearly as popular as in previous years. Bands and shelling out more singles, E.P.s and L.P.s than ever, allowing their audience to connect with then on a smaller, more intimate level than a large scale album. Another wonderful feature of a streaming service is setting alerts to make new music known to the listener as it becomes available, a very handy feature.
So the question remains: are streaming services a detriment or an asset? In short, they are both. They have undeniable benefits to both listeners and musicians alike. However, one would be lying to say they could dig a little deeper in those cooperate pockets. Truthfully, they are an unavoidable part of media evolution that will continue to effect us all. Like the cassette tape, CD, and vinyl before them, streaming will undoubtedly continue to shape the music industry, delivering hit after hit right to our fingertips.
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