There's a lot to take from this. I need to read back couple times to really drive it home. But as I've watched spotify’s devilish actions through they years, it's not a big surprise they keep doing shady stuff. I wonder how Mr ek even has the balls to say to musicians to just release more music, and at the same time spotify algo is pushing brainless AI-generated background music and fake artists. Not to mention Mr Ek claims to be playing couple instruments, but never released a single song to show his own music. Suppose it's more fun to sell your stocks (to show how much you trust your own company) and keep blaming artists...sigh...
Having grown up as a perhaps somewhat obsessive record collector, my digital listening habits developed along the lines of "collecting" mp3s, and keeping them as organized in my files as my record shelves, so the idea of 'buying into' streaming like Spotify never really caught on with me. It seems lazy to me how people have come to depend on it for shaping their dull musical tastes, and I think services like it have contributed greatly to people's general unconcern or lack of real interest in music. There is still lots of great music always being made, but man, Spotify is *no* way, ever, to actually discover or enjoy it. It's just difficult to dissuade people who have become used to using it that practically every other way of finding and enjoying (and SUPPORTING) music is just way, way better in every way. I'd like to say something like "Friends don't let friends listen to Spotify," but I always feel like I'm being seen as a music snob whenever friends talk about listening to music there and I have to complain about what an evil empire they are.. I sure hope Ek's scam can be reeled in with regulations somehow.
I've made similar post to your post here about streaming music & Spotify on particular. I've had a blast curating my music collection from vinyl, cassette and CD's. Rip my CD collection onto USB doggles & that's how I listen in my truck. Anything worth while takes time so this habit isn't for everyone but works quite well for me. Like any collector you get ahead of your self with buying album of the artist you like or are curious about. Especially if you frequent thrift or consignment shops there's always something interesting in the CD bid and mush of the time for less than a dollar. The serendipity that my mania with music has produced is mush of the time I'll rip these affordable finds to a doggle before even playing them on their own so much the time I'm listening to fresh music while I drive. Again not for everybody but certainly floats my boat.
Can one assume Ek sold that amount of shares with the express purpose of netting 666 million, a sort of acknowledgment that people see him as a devil? Seems like he’s leaning into the evil.
I remember being optimistic about Spotify. I got caught up in the beauty of the algorithmic world. I was still buying records, going to gigs, so I assumed that if everyone did the same, things would remain sustainable, maybe even better, thanks to the sheer access to all music at once.
I was wrong. Maybe just young.
Also, using this comment as an excuse to finally say thanks. For your music, your writing. I used to listen to your podcast years ago, back when I was living abroad for the first time in Porto, and somehow, I still connect your voice to those memories. A kind of para-connection, I know, but still, thank you.
With Damon's permission I incorporated some of his article into a piece I have been writing about how bands starting up can get income from physical releases and how selling them compares to Spotify streams.
Thanks for this. I left the evil empire a few months ago and barely noticed the loss actually as I was drifting towards Bandcamp and SoundCloud more anyway. Also I realised that I could use chatGPT for recommendations if I really wanted to…. But haven’t instead just bouncing around other platforms and reading The Wire! Also I realised I had basically recreated my old cd / mp3 collection on Spotify so it made no sense to pay for that. I did find Spotify useful when I got back into listening properly to music after raising the family but as I learned more about music and what I liked the discovery element became less and less useful. So stopped using it, went back to mp3s on hardrives and use Podbean for podcasts and now pay more attention to what I listen to and how I find it. And like most of us I got sick of techbros bs and feel embarrassed by the 600 quid or so I have spent on the platform and how little of it made it to artists
Terrific piece of writing, really nailed the nuances of language
There's a lot to take from this. I need to read back couple times to really drive it home. But as I've watched spotify’s devilish actions through they years, it's not a big surprise they keep doing shady stuff. I wonder how Mr ek even has the balls to say to musicians to just release more music, and at the same time spotify algo is pushing brainless AI-generated background music and fake artists. Not to mention Mr Ek claims to be playing couple instruments, but never released a single song to show his own music. Suppose it's more fun to sell your stocks (to show how much you trust your own company) and keep blaming artists...sigh...
Having grown up as a perhaps somewhat obsessive record collector, my digital listening habits developed along the lines of "collecting" mp3s, and keeping them as organized in my files as my record shelves, so the idea of 'buying into' streaming like Spotify never really caught on with me. It seems lazy to me how people have come to depend on it for shaping their dull musical tastes, and I think services like it have contributed greatly to people's general unconcern or lack of real interest in music. There is still lots of great music always being made, but man, Spotify is *no* way, ever, to actually discover or enjoy it. It's just difficult to dissuade people who have become used to using it that practically every other way of finding and enjoying (and SUPPORTING) music is just way, way better in every way. I'd like to say something like "Friends don't let friends listen to Spotify," but I always feel like I'm being seen as a music snob whenever friends talk about listening to music there and I have to complain about what an evil empire they are.. I sure hope Ek's scam can be reeled in with regulations somehow.
I've made similar post to your post here about streaming music & Spotify on particular. I've had a blast curating my music collection from vinyl, cassette and CD's. Rip my CD collection onto USB doggles & that's how I listen in my truck. Anything worth while takes time so this habit isn't for everyone but works quite well for me. Like any collector you get ahead of your self with buying album of the artist you like or are curious about. Especially if you frequent thrift or consignment shops there's always something interesting in the CD bid and mush of the time for less than a dollar. The serendipity that my mania with music has produced is mush of the time I'll rip these affordable finds to a doggle before even playing them on their own so much the time I'm listening to fresh music while I drive. Again not for everybody but certainly floats my boat.
"No one EARNS a billion dollars. You STEAL a billion dollars." -- Fran Lebowitz
Can one assume Ek sold that amount of shares with the express purpose of netting 666 million, a sort of acknowledgment that people see him as a devil? Seems like he’s leaning into the evil.
If only he were that self-aware!
Manipulation is the key word
Absolutely brilliant piece.
I remember being optimistic about Spotify. I got caught up in the beauty of the algorithmic world. I was still buying records, going to gigs, so I assumed that if everyone did the same, things would remain sustainable, maybe even better, thanks to the sheer access to all music at once.
I was wrong. Maybe just young.
Also, using this comment as an excuse to finally say thanks. For your music, your writing. I used to listen to your podcast years ago, back when I was living abroad for the first time in Porto, and somehow, I still connect your voice to those memories. A kind of para-connection, I know, but still, thank you.
With Damon's permission I incorporated some of his article into a piece I have been writing about how bands starting up can get income from physical releases and how selling them compares to Spotify streams.
https://www.blowtorchrecords.com/post/seven-hot-tips-for-band-merch-vs-spotify-streaming
Thanks for this. I left the evil empire a few months ago and barely noticed the loss actually as I was drifting towards Bandcamp and SoundCloud more anyway. Also I realised that I could use chatGPT for recommendations if I really wanted to…. But haven’t instead just bouncing around other platforms and reading The Wire! Also I realised I had basically recreated my old cd / mp3 collection on Spotify so it made no sense to pay for that. I did find Spotify useful when I got back into listening properly to music after raising the family but as I learned more about music and what I liked the discovery element became less and less useful. So stopped using it, went back to mp3s on hardrives and use Podbean for podcasts and now pay more attention to what I listen to and how I find it. And like most of us I got sick of techbros bs and feel embarrassed by the 600 quid or so I have spent on the platform and how little of it made it to artists