Is there a difference between Apple Music and Spotify? I use Apple Music, but more like a radio, or to check out a song I don't know of, or band/artist.
The "fake artist" dodge has long been a favorite tool of ol' Spotty; partly to populate its preferred method of music delivery- "playlists", without sharing too much of the revenue those gather. They love and push the "playlist" model, bc they're easy to insert ads into and prioritize the 'vibe' the list creator curates over the artists whose creations are on it. That indirectly makes the curator, and thus Spotty, the real beneficiary of all them sweet lucrative subs.
The fake artists (who work for flat fees, iirc) just enable Spotty to pay themselves from the artist pot in addition to the other cuts they get.
If there was a move to be made in response, it'd be: stop submitting to playlists, + stop subscribing (or following or whatever) to them.
If enough folks did that, it'd put a dent in their model pretty good.
I remember someone telling me years ago on Twitter - "This isn't the 90s anymore! You can make it if you try". Well, looks like Spotify is on the case and making it will get progressively more difficult each year for anyone but 1% of artists.
On a related note, check this out. Jason Lindner a brilliant keyboard player best known for playing on Bowie's last record, Blackstar. He's accomplished in jazz and electronic circles. Someone generated a record with AI and hacked his Spotify and Apple Music accounts to release it as a new record. Scary.
Thanks for this insights and aspirations
"~8M had less than 10 tracks all time
~5M+ had less than 100 total streams across their full catalog"
Spotify cares not for musicians or grammar.
Exceedingly shady.
Is there a difference between Apple Music and Spotify? I use Apple Music, but more like a radio, or to check out a song I don't know of, or band/artist.
What a garbage heap Spotify is, ffs.
Gross and dispiriting, but not surprising. Thanks for your good work, Damon.
The "fake artist" dodge has long been a favorite tool of ol' Spotty; partly to populate its preferred method of music delivery- "playlists", without sharing too much of the revenue those gather. They love and push the "playlist" model, bc they're easy to insert ads into and prioritize the 'vibe' the list creator curates over the artists whose creations are on it. That indirectly makes the curator, and thus Spotty, the real beneficiary of all them sweet lucrative subs.
The fake artists (who work for flat fees, iirc) just enable Spotty to pay themselves from the artist pot in addition to the other cuts they get.
If there was a move to be made in response, it'd be: stop submitting to playlists, + stop subscribing (or following or whatever) to them.
If enough folks did that, it'd put a dent in their model pretty good.
I remember someone telling me years ago on Twitter - "This isn't the 90s anymore! You can make it if you try". Well, looks like Spotify is on the case and making it will get progressively more difficult each year for anyone but 1% of artists.
On a related note, check this out. Jason Lindner a brilliant keyboard player best known for playing on Bowie's last record, Blackstar. He's accomplished in jazz and electronic circles. Someone generated a record with AI and hacked his Spotify and Apple Music accounts to release it as a new record. Scary.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C4_8felLqi_/?img_index=1
I love the reply by Matthew Ellis you included here. It gets to the heart of the problem very efficiently.
Yup, I'll bet nearly all of those "unknown millionaires" are algorithmic bullshit.
And isn't Julia Holter great?