I read every word with the utmost interest Michael. For weeks now, I have been really 'down' with the way Spotify have treated us (ShearWater), we have over 11.5k streams on Spotify and we are still waiting for a measly cheque from them for $34!!!!! It is enough to make you cry. I will be reaching out to you very soon Michael, for some thoughts I have and to feed on your mountain of knowledge. Claire xx
Hi Claire, 34,000 is amazing! You’re really killing it! And From an artist perspective,it is disheartening to see the measly crumbs that Spotify throws to the artists. It’s time to change this dynamic. Long live MAD records!
100% agree that building community is the key to indie success. I’ve been making the argument at our label that we should be utilizing Spotify (and friends) the way we worked radio back in the day. Release and promote singles on the DSP’s, but preserve the full album experience for paying customers only. Great article.
This was a very informative read - thank you! I'm very embarrassed to admit that I just blindly streamed on Spotify for years without knowing anything about the ins and outs of it all.
Well written. As an indie musician I fully understood a while ago, after some illusionary years, Spotify was not giving me any part off that cut. But the club comparison is true up to a certain point. The question is: what's the advantage in NOT having your music on Spotify right now? If all indies would retire their catalog, would Spotify lose that big of an appeal for the average user, given that it has all the past best catalog and all the new major releases at the touch of a finger?
I had a friend who worked there. He said they didn’t really care about music. They cared about data. I tried to buy media when I was in corporate, it was a nightmare. Now I partially own a record label, I don’t see growth that makes sense. It’s sad that this platform is not on the artists side. Expecting artists to understand digital marketing is also a huge wish, so this model is fucked for them.
Michael Gilbride and artist development mode is very helpful to me as a sub here for "MAD RECORDS" and it's educational fund for online school, I really appreciate the time and preparations you deliver in advance, this reports shows the truth happening in the music industry that the professionals and experts are pushing for raising artist and musicians. "ROYALTIES" are a chapter in the biz that the companies really in this world matter about to just be in silence. The company has to know about the streams and it's possibilities from the audience to prove stats about the artists streams on the platform.
I’m hoping something like Subvert (https://subvert.fm/) ends up taking off.
Thanks for letting me know about this, I hadn't heard.
I read every word with the utmost interest Michael. For weeks now, I have been really 'down' with the way Spotify have treated us (ShearWater), we have over 11.5k streams on Spotify and we are still waiting for a measly cheque from them for $34!!!!! It is enough to make you cry. I will be reaching out to you very soon Michael, for some thoughts I have and to feed on your mountain of knowledge. Claire xx
Hi Claire, 34,000 is amazing! You’re really killing it! And From an artist perspective,it is disheartening to see the measly crumbs that Spotify throws to the artists. It’s time to change this dynamic. Long live MAD records!
“A disheveled man in a tweed jacket that reeks of marijuana steps into a dimly lit conference room. He fires up…” #goals
100% agree that building community is the key to indie success. I’ve been making the argument at our label that we should be utilizing Spotify (and friends) the way we worked radio back in the day. Release and promote singles on the DSP’s, but preserve the full album experience for paying customers only. Great article.
Maybe that's the way...
This was a very informative read - thank you! I'm very embarrassed to admit that I just blindly streamed on Spotify for years without knowing anything about the ins and outs of it all.
Sincerely,
A woman who misses listening to all music on CDs.
Got a used car with a CD player and a new CD player at home. It's Soooo good
Oh man, yeah, that sounds like a dream. I loved my car CD player.
Well written. As an indie musician I fully understood a while ago, after some illusionary years, Spotify was not giving me any part off that cut. But the club comparison is true up to a certain point. The question is: what's the advantage in NOT having your music on Spotify right now? If all indies would retire their catalog, would Spotify lose that big of an appeal for the average user, given that it has all the past best catalog and all the new major releases at the touch of a finger?
I had a friend who worked there. He said they didn’t really care about music. They cared about data. I tried to buy media when I was in corporate, it was a nightmare. Now I partially own a record label, I don’t see growth that makes sense. It’s sad that this platform is not on the artists side. Expecting artists to understand digital marketing is also a huge wish, so this model is fucked for them.
Let's start changing this!
A really insightful piece. Certainly changed my perception.
Michael Gilbride and artist development mode is very helpful to me as a sub here for "MAD RECORDS" and it's educational fund for online school, I really appreciate the time and preparations you deliver in advance, this reports shows the truth happening in the music industry that the professionals and experts are pushing for raising artist and musicians. "ROYALTIES" are a chapter in the biz that the companies really in this world matter about to just be in silence. The company has to know about the streams and it's possibilities from the audience to prove stats about the artists streams on the platform.