The music streaming era has officially begun. People no longer spend money to buy CDs; they instead pay a ten dollar streaming fee. There is Spotify for those who do not mind commercials (or are willing to pay to get rid of those commercials.) There is Tidal for those who need Kanye West’s album in all of its forms. Of course, there is also Apple music, which offers a free three-month trial.
With streaming services still being a fairly new idea, the effects that these companies will have on the music industry and artists is still under surveillance. Some smaller bands have praised streaming companies for at least providing a small amount of money per play. Other artists, such as Taylor Swift and Adele, have called out companies like Spotify for not paying artists enough.
“Music is art, and art is important and rare. Important, rare things are valuable. Valuable things should be paid for. It’s my opinion that music should not be free, and my prediction is that individual artists and their labels will someday decide what an album’s price point is. I hope that they don’t underestimate themselves or undervalue the art,” Swift says, making a valid point. The only problem is that Swift, unlike hundreds of other lesser known musicians, is in a place where she can ask for more money. For struggling and newly emerging artists, it is much harder to protect the inherent value of their music when it means finally getting a paycheck.
Many artists, however, are embracing the power of streaming by releasing Spotify, Tidal and Apple Music exclusives. Rihanna, Beyonce, and Kanye all released their latest albums as a Tidal exclusive for a short amount of time. Meghan Trainor and Drake’s latest album were only available on Apple Music as well.
As the days go by, there is no denying the fact that streaming is definitely changing the way we consume music. People do not anticipate going to their local stores to buy physical CDs anymore. Soon enough, most of the general population will not buy any music, but they will instead be paying a monthly fee to listen to an entire library of music.
