Radiohead's Thom Yorke isn't a fan of Spotify—here's why
Radiohead’s Thom Yorke has never liked Spotify, and it’s clear he still isn’t a fan of the streaming service.
As NME shared back in 2013, Yorke called Spotify “the last desperate fart of a dying corpse.”
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And he's recently taken to Twitter to comment on the way Spotify pays musicians, quoting the original tweet with: “I refer you, ladies and gentlemen, to the comments below …. without further comment.”
i refer you, ladies and gentlemen, to the comments below …. without further comment ���� https://t.co/rw3mNt9epG
— Thom Yorke (@thomyorke) December 28, 2017
In Geoff Barrow’s original Tweet, Barrow says: “Ok quick question for musicians. How many of you have personally made more than £500 from Spotify.”
Ok quick question for musicians
How many of you have personally made more than £500 from @Spotify— Geoff Barrow (@jetfury) December 27, 2017
The thread sparked a conversation from an assortment of artists and musicians on the way Spotify pays artists—and the landscape it creates for artists in a landscape that is not built on paying for music.
No offence taken, if it wasn't for all the playlists we were put on I don't think we would have got a second record deal. If you have songs that are very easy to place in genre specific playlists then Spotify can be a good earner (1/2)
— Daniel Broadley (@danielbroadley) December 28, 2017
Yes definitely if you work the system well
It can make a living
My issue is that for the bands that aren’t like that it’s almost impossible to make a living as most deals include Spotify— Geoff Barrow (@jetfury) December 28, 2017
Spotify etc has burrowed its way into people’s lives, normalising the idea of not paying for music. It isn’t free to make music, gig, run a studio and so on. Spotify etc are creating a landscape in which only well-off people will be able to make music & attempt a career out of it
— LoneLadyHQ (@LoneLadyHQ) December 27, 2017
Of course, Yorke isn’t the only one who’s commented on the world of streaming for musicians and platforms alike. Pretty much everyone knows that musicians get cents on the dollar—if they're lucky—when their songs are streamed on music services.
And as Apple Music head Jimmy Iovine explains, streaming services themselves aren't making any money, too.
“The streaming business is not a great business,” Iovine says on the profit problems hindering streaming services, warning against artists and labels' overoptimism in the platform. “The streaming services have a bad situation. There's no margins, they're not making any money.”
What are your thoughts on the streaming landscape—and do you agree with Yorke? Let us know in the comments below.
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