Comment by AlexandrB
12 days ago
The problem is how compensation works in streaming. Those long tail artists are now paid less than they would make off of a few hundred CD sales. The Taylor Swifts and Muses of the world still get the bulk of the subscription you pay every month.
These long tail artists almost didn't sell their albums before streaming though. I've always been into obscure music since I was a teenager, to find it I'd have to dig through many record stores' bins, and get lucky enough to get my hands on second hand stuff. There was never a place they were stocked (perhaps except for some local store around where the artists' themselves were located).
When piracy came along I had access to a lot more music I had only heard about, or heard from a friend's bootleg recording that was a copy of a copy of a cassette tape someone had. Streaming happened and I felt much better than having to pirate some poor souls hard work.
Bandcamp is still there for selling albums digitally which is much better for not popular artists to reach their fans than the old ways.
Music was never compensated enough for the work done, it's always been tough, the culprit is not streaming.
Independent music and independent publishing was, in my opinion, thriving even just 25 years ago in a rhizome of record shops and small venues which are getting stomped on by streaming culture and ecommerce platforms. It was certainly always hard, but also certainly doable if you put the work in to make the economics of it possible. It seems like now the same energy is going into carving out a following on ad-driven social media and streaming platforms, plus a dozen small side-hustles.
What I'm hopeful about though is that things like patreon are making the idea of supporting artists you appreciate directly somewhat more normal, but streaming platforms are not doing any favors for musicians in my opinion.
> The problem is how compensation works in streaming.
That may be ONE problem.
I think a more serious problem is that small venues are closing. It's partly gentrifcation, forcing residents into neighbourhoods that were formerly industrial (and so allowed noise). The new residents complain about noise, and a venue that's been running for 40 years gets shuttered.
See: forest hills stadium aggressively enforcing curfew this year
That's not it. You need to pony up a few thousand dollars for a minimum CD order. Back then selling a few hundred CDs meant you broke even. Distribution was via your shows or email lists and mailing them.
Now distribution to the entire world is basically free and you don't need to pony up money to print CDs.
Anyone pining for the way things used to be, wasn't there and is looking through rose colored glasses.