Volume(UP): #16
“Capitalism init”
S: Before Streams and streaming became a thing, I was a bootleg god, with a side of guilt. In 2014 ish, Tobi and I had a conversation about a new company that would charge around 10bucks a month and allow you listen to all your favorite music. That year I was in “Dinner with Jay Z gang” and because I couldn’t understand the economics to it and I argued it was bound to fail.
Few years down the line, I am offering streaming as a thing to anyone that will listen, hawking it to my friends like a starving mixtape artist.
Streaming has basically overtaken album sales* and is here to stay. However true to my suspicion, it is indeed failing, not for the companies though, they are eating fat and healthy. The “Black collar workers” of the industry though, indie artistes that “fluff” us in between hits, the songwriters and all other ancillaries are starving while carrying the industry on their back. Especially so now that Covid-19 has removed touring from revenue options.
T: Great music has an immutable value. Streaming was supposed to open the field and allow almost anyone partake in that value, especially the artists that make it. It would have meant that smaller artists and their teams can now make real money from their creations.
But streaming has been rigged.
We have payouts so low that being an independent doesn’t make sense unless you’re selling something along with the music. It’s not sweet for their signed counterparts by the way. Travis Scott is literally making Ads & calling it music. A lot of artists don’t know if they’ll be able to perform whatever music they put out because of the pandemic. There are different ways to make money from music without ever stepping on a stage but very few are brave enough to even try something different. The perception that you’re broke is holding my people back. The big 3 on the other hand are experiencing their best era since the internet was formed. Something stinks over here. The payouts are like residual income for them. I think all this is happening by design.
I personally think musicians need a union. They need to fight this daylight robbery. Seriously something needs to be done.
S: Well, capitalism has struck again init? Anyway, my first pick of this episode is music that stuck to me the most this weekend. I was at a Christian retreat, CCI’s Reboot camp and this particular song an all-encompassing affirmation of the Christian faith. It talks about using someone’s effort to scam an impartial Judge. Apparently, Jesus and streaming executives have something in common.
Stick is an alternative adventure I found off Duduke. Dinaledi is a really lovely (and probably love-filled) Amapiano song. Speaking of, amaipano, I think the SA people let in a trojan horse with Sponono. But that is another story.
Thank you again for listening. Love y’all very much.
