Music Streaming

[Guy Cundell]

In 1906, John Philip Sousa complained that the new recording technology just about spelled the end of music. And for him, and all musicians, things would never be the same. Streaming audio technology, beginning with Napster, represented another seismic shift that has come to fruition with services like Spotify.

Taking a moral stance and avoiding using these services, as many do, is admirable but the cat is out of the bag. The question now really is how to live with it. Spotify may offer a cup of coffee for a gazillion plays but I think three cups of coffee is preferable. The following chart shows the revenue paid to artists.

I have been guiltily using Spotify for a while but feel a bit better after shifting to a comparable service that pays three times as much to artists. Considerations of breadth of content and quality also come into play. I am pretty happy with Tidal that has a similar interface and a 20% bigger library but I am sure there are other excellent choices that offer a better deal to musicians.

[Guy Cundell]

This just in...

[Mike Neer]

I subscribe to Apple Music and I like it, especially now with their Classical app, which is mostly what I listen to, though I still prefer my personal music collection. I also like Idagio but do not have a subscription.

I receive nice checks monthly from Tidal, mostly for one track in particular, West Coast Blues. I would say that tune alone nets about $50 a month from Tidal. The rest of my streaming payouts besides Apple Music and Tidal are neglible.

I do like the ability to have what seems like about 60% of recorded music available at my fingertips at any time. I listen to so much music—too much—but it is very focused, almost educational, listening.