We’ve written about this before in two posts, Why Spotify is not Netflix (But Maybe It Should Be) and Streaming Is the Future, Spotify Is Not. Let’s talk Solutions. In Both posts we talk at length about how the problem is not technology or streaming itself, but rather the very restricted business models and poor economics that currently exist. No amount of selective double speak from Daniel Ek will change the bad math that Spotify can not scale at current rates.
Jason Aldean now joins Taylor Swift in removing his music from Spotify which leads us to wonder how many more artists with the ability to do so will remove their new releases and/or catalogs as well. This may also be a good time to revisit those two previous posts mentioned above.
So here is the question, is the record business really utilizing the new digital platforms correctly to address the current market place? Perhaps by looking at the options available to consumers from movie streaming, rental and download businesses we can find more robust and flexible opportunities for artists.
At the very least windowing releases allows artists, their managers and even labels the ability to manage and maximize current revenue streams more effectively. Windowing opens up strategic decisions about tier based pricing relative to the value proposition for both the artist and the consumer. Windowing may not fix all of the problems artists are facing in music streaming but it will be a great first step towards recognizing that the artists should have some direct participation in deciding how their work is consumed.
It’s not that streaming can’t work. It can. It’s that Spotify is a bad business model that has unsustainable economics and exploits artists because it is a wall street financial instrument and not a music company.
Pay Gates may be another solution (which is essentially a window). For example, Spotify premium paid subscribers could access the new Taylor Swift record, but not those using the free version of the service. This also allows artists to determine which songs can be accessed for free for greater promotional value, and which songs are intended to maximize revenue.
Why does Spotify unilaterally get to dictate to artists, managers and labels how to best maximize their relationships and revenues with their own fans?
As Spotify is a destination platform, and not a discovery platform we could see where the current hit singles are only available to paid subscribers while select album tracks could be accessible for free. The tracks on the free tier are monetized only by advertising revenue which pays very little, but there may be a promotional benefit to build awareness on lesser know songs.
Even the old school record business had tier based pricing. There were front-line, mid-line and budget pricing tiers. Front-line titles were often deeply discounted for premium in-store positioning. Mid-line titles were discounted as an incentive to stimulate more sales from recent catalog titles. Budget titles were mostly oldies and very deep back catalog. Primitive as they were, these were windows.
Yes, we know the choir of “or else they’ll steal it” from piracy apologists will claim that anything less the complete devaluation of music as fodder for advertising revenue is pointless. We’ll take our chances with Jason Aldean, Taylor Swift, Adele, Coldplay, Beyonce’, The Black Keys, Thom Yorke and the growing number of artists that are either removing their catalogs from Spotify, or windowing them.
Bring on the windows and pay gates! Let’s see some “innovation” and “disruption” that actually works for artists and not just the new boss. The outcry (from Spotify) of artists removing their songs also proves another very important point – all music is not equal. If some weekend hobbyist does not put their music on Spotify or pulls it off Spotify it doesn’t make headlines. Taylor Swift, Adele, Beyonce, The Black Keys, Thom Yorke, etc – all make headlines because people actually do VALUE professional music. Professional music, has a professional price.
If Spotify is such a good business for artists, why not let each artist decide if Spotify works for them? Why does Spotify publicly shame artists to convince them how good they are? The lady doth protests too much, wethinks…
It’s funny how long it’s taken the record industry to realize that if you keep allowing something to be given away for free there is no incentive to pay. Who knew?
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