This is not a popular opinion, but it’s just Supply and Demand. The Supply of content has become virtually infinite, so of COURSE it’s free. I’m a musician myself, but I get this.
You may be a terrific songwriter. But so are a hundred thousand other people, the vast majority of whom were never able to make and market records at all before the internet explosion. If a modern artist figures out some way to force payment, he’ll stop being listened to entirely, since people will just listen to the next guy instead, who is just as good. Because now, musicians aren’t dependent on record companies who decided which 1 band out 10,000 was heard by the public.
And most musicians have ALWAYS worked for free, with only a tiny handful being paid even a living wage.
The recording industry is only about a hundred years old. For most of history, musicians sold NO records at ALL, but made money ENTIRELY by performance. It’s actually just going back to that.
I still buy music. I can get somebody else’s list of favorites for free on over-the-air radio so I don’t need to pay for streaming music or SiriusXM, and when I want particular music, I have ~1,200 songs on my phone, and room for more.
Get a clue, willya? Streaming isn’t free for the individuals or firms that provide that service, nor any others online, small or large. Ever hear of Sound Exchange? The agency that collects usage fees for RECORDING ARTISTS and PERFORMERS for each and every time their work is played online. And there’s a NEW very similar fee proposed right now. Of course, this is in addition to BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC, the three biggest performance rights companies on the planet. (But don’t forget about their counterparts for all non-US music!) Whether it’s traditional radio or online, except for illegal websites that are fast becoming history, thanks to technology, there’s a chunk of change being collected for every recorded bit of music you listen to. Yeah, I’m an independent guy who’s been paying it for ten years solid now. If the performers aren’t getting their cut, they have rotten management—not my fault, not my problem, and not yours, either.
Then again, there were years where the recording companies pushed all the costs off onto the artists, so it was pure profit for them and the artists starved. I don’t know if that continues today.
MD Bear Premium Member over 6 years ago
That would work better if “row” and “how” rhymed.
WaitingMan over 6 years ago
The mantra of today’s youth is ‘content should be free’. I wonder how many of them are willing to work for nothing.
grassler over 6 years ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iVf0pPHvjc
Ignatz Premium Member over 6 years ago
This is not a popular opinion, but it’s just Supply and Demand. The Supply of content has become virtually infinite, so of COURSE it’s free. I’m a musician myself, but I get this.
You may be a terrific songwriter. But so are a hundred thousand other people, the vast majority of whom were never able to make and market records at all before the internet explosion. If a modern artist figures out some way to force payment, he’ll stop being listened to entirely, since people will just listen to the next guy instead, who is just as good. Because now, musicians aren’t dependent on record companies who decided which 1 band out 10,000 was heard by the public.
And most musicians have ALWAYS worked for free, with only a tiny handful being paid even a living wage.
The recording industry is only about a hundred years old. For most of history, musicians sold NO records at ALL, but made money ENTIRELY by performance. It’s actually just going back to that.
McGehee over 6 years ago
I still buy music. I can get somebody else’s list of favorites for free on over-the-air radio so I don’t need to pay for streaming music or SiriusXM, and when I want particular music, I have ~1,200 songs on my phone, and room for more.
cosman over 6 years ago
Went back to purchasing a few 180gram Vinyl LP’s (turntable makes ’em sound fuller & warmer) every month. bit.ly/2kImKID
countoftowergrove over 6 years ago
Given classic Sluggo’s Joisey accent, I would never have guessed Nancy takes place in Nashville, where I lived for five years!
Spade Jr. over 6 years ago
Get a clue, willya? Streaming isn’t free for the individuals or firms that provide that service, nor any others online, small or large. Ever hear of Sound Exchange? The agency that collects usage fees for RECORDING ARTISTS and PERFORMERS for each and every time their work is played online. And there’s a NEW very similar fee proposed right now. Of course, this is in addition to BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC, the three biggest performance rights companies on the planet. (But don’t forget about their counterparts for all non-US music!) Whether it’s traditional radio or online, except for illegal websites that are fast becoming history, thanks to technology, there’s a chunk of change being collected for every recorded bit of music you listen to. Yeah, I’m an independent guy who’s been paying it for ten years solid now. If the performers aren’t getting their cut, they have rotten management—not my fault, not my problem, and not yours, either.
kaffekup over 6 years ago
Then again, there were years where the recording companies pushed all the costs off onto the artists, so it was pure profit for them and the artists starved. I don’t know if that continues today.