FMM132 - How Badly Are Streaming Sites Hurting Artists?

Today we’re tackling a VERY divisive topic, one that for music producers worldwide has become the cause of a huge amount of debate in the last few years…

And that’s the impact that music streaming sites like Spotify, Apple Music and others are having on our scene.

Now, many people believe that the current streaming model is crippling artists and damages the underground music scene as we know it, whilst others see benefits that they can heavily lean into to further their careers.

And one group of people think that the streaming sites should be disempowered and shouldn’t impact the scene as much as they do, whilst others are taking actions that empower them.

So in this episode we’re deep diving into the facts: how the streaming model actually works, what alternatives are out there, and the various routes that any artist can take to get ahead in the music industry in 2021.

When you finish this episode you’ll have all the information you need to plot the best course for you, for your music, and to have the impact that you want on the scene you love.

It’s a full on episode for a full on topic, so let’s dive in!

Key takeaways:

For the vast majority of producers, music streaming sites like Spotify and Apple Music are not viable sources of income, but they do provide a huge opportunity to grow your audience.

Alternatives like Bandcamp are paving the way to a model which supports artists through buying music, but do not offer the same kind of exposure.

The system is far from perfect, but it’s your choice to look at it with a problem focus or an opportunity focus.

A sensible approach would be to have your music on as many platforms as possible and utilise the different benefits of each.

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Thank you for listening!

I really appreciate you joining me and I hope you’re enjoying the topics and taking some real value into your music sessions.

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