Image: Stocksnap – Pixabay
I have long been fascinated by the unintended effects of innovation: every time a context changes, the various actors involved reorganize their roles and how they adapt to the change, sometimes with expected responses. Sometimes unexpected.
The advent of streaming in music, and Spotify in particular, provides an example: what was expected to be a simple and convenient new distribution channel that would keep users away from the temptation of irregular downloads has brought about many changes in music today, Like albums with shorter songs and more tracks.
Spotify was the music industry’s response to the proliferation of unregulated downloading: since the main attraction was access to music and individual songs rather than purchasing an entire album, Spotify introduced an easy-to-use interface where we could find almost any song instantly. , and with a freemium model, which included both those who wanted free music, easily filled with very annoying advertising, and those who preferred to pay a flat fee and avoid it.
The model worked particularly well for record labels and their shareholders at a time when they were being viewed as the bad guys. In fact, it worked so well that they were able to increase their revenue by keeping most of their artists in precarious positions. Spotify’s model results in highly biased distribution in favor of certain artists, who are the real beneficiaries of its recommendation algorithm. Contrary to company figures, which claim that over thirteen thousand musicians earn at least $50,000 in royalties annually, other figures show that only 33 artists manage to break the barrier of fifty million monthly listeners, which The result is a rich “royalty” that is almost impossible to access, as opposed to a much broader base that makes music almost commercial and barely a way to make a living.
Others argue that the infinite list and recommendation algorithm model is a utilitarian approach, but it does not promote the love of music. But what is clear is that it has served its purpose in keeping consumers away from the temptation of getting their music through unregulated downloads.
Source: medium.com
