Shameful

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

Artists need 15,561,765 Spotify streams at least to garnish a UK minimum living wage. A target that is well above virtually every artist out there (as in musical artist). Hence why most of their money comes from gigs, tours, album sales and general stuff like T-Shirts. Yes, I have put tracks out there that are AI generated, but no, I don't get any money from them. The day I do is the day things have gone really awry.

 

[kdonnel]

Have they really gone awry?

Artists have always been taken advantage of prior to becoming big.

Just look at Taylor Swift having to buy back her masters. She was lucky she had the money. Many artists never own the rights to their music.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

I believe that previously streaming rights, for what they were, were far more favourable. Now people like Spotify dictate what an artist gets for their hard work and no, it isn't much at all I mean, time was an artist would release singles and albums to record labels for physical sales (record shops like Rounders Records) and they would definitely get far more money per sale than they earn now per listen.

 

[sam_gordon]

time was an artist would release singles and albums to record labels for physical sales (record shops like Rounders Records) and they would definitely get far more money per sale than they earn now per listen.

You're comparing apples and oranges though. If you buy an album, then you get "unlimited" listens. If you purchase a listen, the cost SHOULD be way less. Since the cost is less, the artist gets less.

It's "supply and demand". There are too many artists making too many songs. Want to make the "living wage"? Make more songs that people want to listen to.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

I hate to say it, but I am speaking with a little authority here. A relation (well, Godfather) is a professional musician. He used to make albums and singles - this was a while ago. He made a decent enough income. Now there's just no incentive to carry on this line. He's switched to library music, where if you're good enough, is where the money now lies. He HATES Spotify. I don't blame him.