Medium.com- the ugly truth about the music streaming industry

[sekker]

gabester wrote:
I've never understood the point of streaming. We have devices that can hold hours days WEEKS of music, and instead people choose to suck up bandwidth streaming music onto their device like it's a transistor radio? Sure, streaming's better than radio because the listener has some more control and choices... but I never understood using it vs. listening to excerpts of tracks on iTunes or Amazon and buying them. And I don't know how artists really made money from radio playback, but it would seem like it should work roughly the same way.

I use streaming as my modern radio. It introduces me to new artists, which I then buy their albums.

Artists have NEVER made money off terrestrial radio (we discussed this in detail in the Swift thread below). Radio was always a way to advertise, monetization came from selling albums and performances.

The real issue is that 90% of the mission of the music industry is now obsolete. The music economy SHOULD be less than a third of the current $$ because it was always about the musicians. The accident is that for the last 50 years, we as a society agreed to pay the music industry tax (to the tune of 10x or more what we pay to artists!) for music.

The finances of streaming are all about supporting the music industry, and nothing to do with supporting artists.

[graylocks]

sekker wrote:
I use streaming as my modern radio. It introduces me to new artists, which I then buy their albums.

Artists have NEVER made money off terrestrial radio (we discussed this in detail in the Swift thread below). Radio was always a way to advertise, monetization came from selling albums and performances.

it's terrific that you are still actually buying CDs but apparently most people are not. if i were to judge by my millennial son i'd say they'd prefer illegally downloading for free although of late he has been talking about paying for Spotify premium.

yes, terrestrial radio was about promoting albums to be sold. it worked for a population whose only option for listening to music at their leisure was to buy the albums. streaming for a vast number of users has replaced buying albums. the music industry AND the artists are taking the hit. i make a modest income from my music. paid downloads are great and streaming payments are paltry. yet, i stream music on Pandora, Google Play, Amazon Music and now Apple Music and i haven't bought a physical CD in years. i don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows...

[Black]

I am not sure about streaming broadening one's musical horizons... seems to me it could work in the opposite-- using some algorithm to dig you deeper into whatever musical groove it thinks you're in. I know not everyone has the resources or mobility to access live music, but I've found that a great way to learn new bands-- I 'study up' on opening bands or other bands I plan to see at a festival beforehand. I do hear new stuff on the radio but typically don't dig deeper into that artist unless an opportunity to see them live is approaching.

Everyone I know who streams (= predominantly coworkers) seem to be listening to a very narrow range of familiar music perpetually.... can't imagine how they don't get sick to death of it.

[mrbigstuff]

a very narrow range of familiar music perpetually.

that is my impression, as well, which is why I think the comparison (in terms of diversity) to FM radio is not entirely appropriate. at least, good FM radio, of which we used to have lots around these parts, but much less these days. my favorite stations played a completely free-wheeling mix of rock, folk, R&B, classical, jazz, fusion, etc. It was a college station, but even those now play mostly "block programming," where it is only one type of music for that period.

[graylocks]

Black wrote:
Everyone I know who streams (= predominantly coworkers) seem to be listening to a very narrow range of familiar music perpetually.... can't imagine how they don't get sick to death of it.

actually i'm finding Apple Music to be helpful in that regard. i first thought their system of profiling the listener was way too vague but not only have their suggestions been spot on but the algorithm has mixed in artists new to me or thrown in an artist i would have otherwise dismissed. for instance, a singer-songwriter folky curated list it suggested ended with an Eminem cut. it truly worked and had me consider Eminem in a new light. often artists come on that i've never heard and i find myself reaching for the phone to see who it is. there's a fair amount of serendipity to Apple Music that i'm liking. i have also liked Pandora for similar reasons but now find Apple's depth a bit broader. my son prefers Spotify because he can make a list and that's precisely what doesn't appeal to me for streaming purposes.