KT Tunstall hits back at Spotify!

[Michael Messer]

Well said Katy!

Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall has hit back at Spotify CEO Daniel Ek after he suggested it is now easier for artists to create 'content'.

Spotify is the biggest music streaming platform in the world, and its chief this week tweeted: "Today, with the cost of creating content being close to zero, people can share an incredible amount of content."

In response, Tunstall tweeted: "I for one don’t make ‘content’. I make music. It’s *possible* to make music cheaply, but you still need equipment. And making music the way I make it also employs other people and takes time. It’s such a completely f*****g myopic thing for him to say."

A few years ago I spent some time with Katy at her home and in her studio, and she's great.

Spotify is a necessity in today's music business. It is fantastic for punters at £10 a month for unlimited listening, but it's a shithole and a con for its lifeblood, the artists and songwriters.What Katy said is spot on, because that is how the industry sees music these days, it is called "content" and "assets"

Shine On
Michael

[zimmharpo23]

Hi Michael

I think you and KT are right in your condemnation of the Spotify CEO’s comments. He is being hugely disrespectful to the creators of great musical art which takes talent, hard work, creativity and dedication.

‘Content’, is such a ghastly expression and makes me think of some of those YouTube ‘influencers’ with no particular talent, no original ideas, but just click-bait comments to get subscribers to watch their one-trick pony show.

The CEO is also being disrespectful to the artists’ right to make a living from their talent. The late David Crosby, among other stars of his generation and more recent ones, was particularly scathing about the way Spotify was reducing his income from music. Effectively, you’re giving your music away for peanuts once it’s on Spotify. The CEO is rubbing the artists’ noses in the dirt.

My favourite artists are mostly from the 70s/80s eras and I try to support many of the re-issue series which they are now releasing, I usually buy CDs at gigs, however small, to support the artist and I reckon this is the way most music fans of my generation think too.

However, all that being said, on the plus side Spotify has been useful to me personally to check out new artists, before I invest in their music, as I usually go ‘all-in’ on artists I like which are new to me and buy their albums. It’s also been useful to hear long-deleted albums.

Unfortunately, it looks like Spotify and other streaming platforms are here to stay. It would be good, though, if the uninformed, out of touch bean-counters would keep their thoughts to themselves - they remind me of some of the out-of-touch multi-millionaire politicians we hear from.

Right, rant over, back to the music. Where’s my Dobro?

Enjoy your Saturday everyone 👍

Andy

[mitchfit]

KT said:

"It’s such a completely f*****g myopic thing for him to say."

if all one looks at is the bottom line, shortsighted people don't want to see anything more.


MM said:

"that is how the industry sees music these days, it is called "content" and "assets"

even more vulgar, "product"?


zimmharpo23 said:

"they remind me of some of the out-of-touch multi-millionaire politicians we hear from."

wouldn't there be less people to choose from under the heading of "non-multimillionaire politicians"?


sure, it's a scam. if you make a deal with the devil, DON"T shake hands with it. (hard to play guitar after your fingers were stolen.)

reminds me of the AI music thread of past, let that be their artists instead, don't sign up.

i can recall back when Detroilet so hyper-productive, it was called Motor City. saw rush hour traffic on ice back then where the drivers were all still doing the max speed limit on the freeway. when the workers feel they are only small parts of the mass production machinery, their esteem for life becomes that reserved for a mass production item.

as above, so below. the big car mfgrs and workers left a shell of a city behind when they escaped.

still, it is hard to wrap my head around this. the times when Chess Records burned the blues artists, when Col Tom Parker burned Elvis and when John Fogerty had to fight in court two decades to win the right to sound like himself again would eventually become the good olde days!

i've always been mad--but now i'm angry too,

mitchfit

[Michael Messer]

Sadly this is how the current music BUSINESS is, and there's no sign of it improving.

Here's some rather beautiful 'content' for us all to enjoy.



I was inspired to post this when I saw my brother Alan's photo this morning and had a listen to her on Youtube. Bobbie's live performance at the BBC in 1968 of Ode To Billy Joe is stunning, just so beautiful. Faultless.



Shine On
Michael