Jay Z did more than most to avoid becoming part of the Spotify machine, but on his 50th birthday, HOV has finally given in.
Ask anyone to list the best rappers of all-time, and most will place Jay Z somewhere in the top 5. From “Hard Knock Life” to “Tom Ford” and countless songs in between, few artists have been as prolific or successful as Jay Z in the history of popular music. His catalog is vast, but until very recently (December 4), fans could only access most of his material through Tidal, the premium streaming service Jay – who also owns the platform – helped bring to the masses in 2015 and Apple Music.
Fans will recall Jay Z’s catalog being on Spotify once before. In April 2017, Hov’s music disappeared from the streaming service “at the request of the artist,” according to an official statement. Reasons for the return are not clear at this time, but you don’t need to be a financial analyst to understand the potential for additional income.
Jay Z’s reasons for starting Tidal were admirable. At the dawn of Spotify, Jay Z recognized that most of the investors behind the supposed ‘future of music consumption’ were people who had no direct involvement in music. The backers for the Spotify and Deezer and other streaming services were only interested in the money that could be made and not in the art they would use to make money. Tidal, which was initially backed by several significant artists, hoped to bring an artist-approved platform to the masses.
Tidal is still in existence today, but its userbase trails Spotify and Apple Music by a wide margin. Jay Z’s decision to upload his catalog to Spotify in honor of his 50th birthday is more of a smart business move than an act of secession. Jay Z recognizes that “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em’ is as relevant today as ever, and he understands the money to be made from adding his music to the world’s most popular platform for audio consumption.
Furthermore, I would wager Jay Z believes his biggest hits is different than the material marked as ‘popular’ by Spotify before uploading his full catalog. Check it out:
Jay Z’s most popular Spotify songs as of 10AM EST on December 4, 2019
But what does this mean for Tidal? In the short term, probably nothing. Tidal’s chances of becoming the preferred method of music consumption by the world at large were always slim, and I don’t foresee Jay’s decision to join Spotify as something that will ultimately hurt the company. Tidal still has exclusive access to high-fidelity streams of Jay’s material, as well as event streaming capabilities that competing platforms have yet to offer.
It’s likely Jay’s decision is tied to an exclusive engagement contract he had with Tidal. His spouse and pop queen, Beyonce, ended a three-year exclusive streaming deal with Tidal for her album Lemonade in April of this year.
Until Jay Z comments on the change, feel free to revisit his essential tracks via the Spotify playlist below:
Every artist has a unique journey to success in the music industry, but they should all start with the same goal.
Now is the best time ever to start a music career. The opportunities for exposure and success are at an all-time high, and virtually everyone can begin making money for their creative output as soon as it’s uploaded to the internet. Artists have never been as empowered to express themselves as they are right now, and that has made music as a whole far more interesting.
But regardless of who you are and the kind of music you seek to create, the goal of every musician starting today should be the same: Growth.
Jesse Cannon, music producer and author of numerous books geared at helping musicians succeed, says all new artists should prioritize growth until they have at least 20,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
Why Spotify? If you asked a few years back, Cannon would have said the goal growth on Facebook or Twitter. Online metrics matter significantly in the industry, and having a sizable audience on any platform is a clear sign to the industry at large that people care about what you’re doing.
These days, however, Spotify is the most sought-after platform for strong performance stats. After all, the streaming giant is where digital engagement transforms into money. Every stream on Spotify counts towards an artist’s income. When labels, management, and the like are looking for new talent, Spotify is the place most turn to gauge an artist’s value.
When asked for more information, Cannon said 20,000 was indicative of an artist having “buzz beyond those of us who talk about [music] all day.” Meaning, an artist with a large Spotify following confirms the general public has discovered and taken an interest in their music. There are many artists that critics and industry professionals love who may never reach a following that large, so it’s important — from a business standpoint — to know music consumers are embracing someone.
Cannon further suggested that artists should avoid releasing or working on albums until they hit the 20,000 listener goal. Until that time, Cannon recommends releasing singles regularly. Consistently giving people a new reason to care or give you a chance is a proven tactic for developing an audience. Until people are willing to wait for something that could take a long time to complete, stick with singles as a means of showcasing your talent.
Careers are built on fans. In the age of the internet, engaging with listeners is incredibly easy. You can tweet at people, post to Facebook, share stories on Instagram, create videos for YouTube, and maintain a mailing list, among other things, without spending a dime. Growth on any platform is excellent, but growth on Spotify makes a difference that other digital communities cannot. Focus your efforts, build a community, and in time you will have the audience needed to support a full-time career.
A new video from Spotify criticizes the company’s control over the mobile market with the blistering message, “Apple comes between you and the music you love to listen to.”
The streaming wars are never-ending. A decade after the launch of Spotify, consumers have more choices than ever when it comes to streaming providers. There are dozens of companies competing for billions in potential revenue, and the two biggest names are currently locked in a brawl that seems unlikely to be resolved anytime soon.
This week, Spotify was integrated into Siri, the AI assistant included with all Apple devices. Why it took so long for such an obvious thing to happen confused many, but Spotify laid out the truth in a blistering indictment of Apple and its numerous platforms in a video featuring their signature animations. Check it out:
The video can be summarized in one blistering comment:
“We don’t love it when Apple comes between you and the things you love to listen to.”
Spotify’s video explains how Apple sets itself up to be a “referee and player” in the world of audio streaming. The company sites the 30% subscription fee the app store requires Spotify to pay as proof of this claim, as well as the fact Apple does not allow subscription through any other means. Spotify also accuses Apple of using its position of power to continually move the goalposts of the streaming business in a way that benefits its platform, Apple Music. Additionally, they accuse the company of hiding their deals, including the three months of free premium service given to all new subscribers.
At the time of this post on October 8, Apple has not yet responded to Spotify’s claims.
Music streaming is a global business, but artists are unknowingly missing out on revenue due to cultural and geographic differences. Fortunately, East Goes Global has a solution.
The Chinese music market is booming, and it’s still growing. For the first time in history, the Chinese market is among the world’s largest–in 2017, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry confirmed China had finally entered the top ten music markets. This is all great news for American artists who want to break into the Chinese market but doing so remains a challenge. Many of the most popular streaming services and social media platforms in North America and Europe—Spotify, Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Apple Music, etc.—are banned in China. Plenty of streaming services exist, but it’s a new development in a country with a history of piracy where the laws are constantly evolving. That’s where East Goes Global comes in. Founder Andrew Spalter is an expert in the Chinese market, stemming from his tenure as the day to day and tour manager for internationally-charting pop star Jessie J, who became the first foreign competitor to win Chinese competition and television show Singer 2018. Following Jessie J’s win [on the show], Spalter’s name began to gain notoriety in the Chinese mainstream music scene.
Spalter was soon approached by numerous superstars to aid in breaking the artists in the American market. What Spalter immediately discovered is that there is an enormous disconnect between both American and Chinese listeners and both sides were missing out on significant revenue because of it.
“You hear it all the time when speaking to entrepreneurs…my ‘aha!’ moment was…well, in my case, there were a few ‘aha’s!’, and they beat me over the head with a sledgehammer. Things like Directors of International Marketing at major US labels claiming that Spotify was available in China, another label offering a dairy branded deal to a Vegan, Chinese artists who were signed to US labels never seeing a dime of their streaming royalties, and so much more…it became clear that both sides were missing something that no one saw an opportunity in.
Operating using his knowledge of working with Jessie J in the Chinese market, Spalter launched East Goes Global to build a bridge between eastern and western music markets, targeting streaming services like NetEase and QQ Music that have four times the number of users that Spotify and Apple Music do.
In just a year, East Goes Global has begun to reveal new paths into a previously uncharted market, guiding the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen, DJ Snake, Yungblud and Clairo to millions of new listeners. Because Spalter has experience in both markets, East Goes Global’s approach is natural, comprehensive and focused on breaking down cultural barriers using social media, playlist pitching, working directly with influencers and consulting, in addition to other methods. East Goes Global is well-equipped to operate in the Chinese market in part because they are aware of copyright laws and the state of the Chinese music industry as a result.
According to IFPL, music streaming services in China are slow to take off because “overall subscriber numbers remain low due largely to a combination of free licensed offerings and online piracy.” Despite this, IFPL insists that there is a strong case for optimism about the industry. In 2018, IFPL regional director for Asia Ang Kwee Tiang said that the value of the music industry grew in 2017 by 35.3% to $292.3m, with streaming revenue growing 26.5% to $204.5m. Though these numbers are still low compared to United States services like Spotify, it’s a significant increase when, less than a decade ago, piracy dominated people’s listening habits. According to Music Ally, “This is why piracy is no longer the main debate in the Chinese music industry. Ang showed a slide claiming that in 2010, 97.5% of online-music traffic in China was going to unlicensed and pirate sites, but that by 2017, 70% of traffic was to licensed audio and video sites.”
Entering the Chinese market as an American artist isn’t the only thing that East Goes Global can help with—Spalter and his team are experts in the American music industry as well and are more than capable of introducing Chinese artists to the American market. In 2017, the United States music industry made over seven billion dollars, according to an RIAA report. The report cites an 11.4 percent growth from the previous year, due in large part to the increase in on-demand streaming services. In the second quarter of 2019, Spotify had over 100 million paid users. With so many paid users and an industry worth more than 20 times what its Chinese counterpart is worth, the American music market contains untold potential for Chinese artists. East Goes Global is designed with artists on both sides of the globe in mind. With anti-piracy laws finally succeeding and legal, paid streaming services exploding, it’s only a matter of time before the demand for American artists grows in China and vice versa.
“There has never been a better time than now to begin focusing on the Chinese entertainment market. In music, China has moved up to the #10 largest music market in the entire world. Today, with the recent success of anti-piracy laws, the growth of revenue from streaming services, and the increased focus and role that social media plays in artists’ global success, the stage is perfectly set for global opportunity. With years of experience within both the Eastern and Western entertainment markets, East Goes Global has positioned itself to be the leader in the field of global development. From managing both Chinese and US social media platforms to assurance and collection of streaming royalties to sourcing branding and marketing opportunities for now more than 40 clients all working the Eastern market, East Goes Global is the premier team in developing your business on a truly global scale.“
Your next single release should be the biggest moment of your career to date. Whether or not that turns out to be the case is entirely up to you.
In the streaming era, singles matter as much — if not more — than albums. A single song can determine whether or not someone gives the rest of your music a chance, if they see you on tour, or if they ever think of you again. You have one chance to convert listeners, and most of the time that chance is the first thirty-seconds (or less) of any song you choose to promote.
With this in mind, it is very important that you treat each single release as if it is the biggest thing to ever happen. Your singles should be events that are promoted heavily and celebrated thoroughly. Everyone should know you have a new song, even if they don’t get around to streaming the track themselves.
Thanks to our pal Jesea Lee from High Road Publicity, we now have a seven-step guide to maximizing the value of a single release. Check it out:
Set a release date with enough lead time!
Most artists don’t have enough content to fill two months of promotion for a single song. Maybe you’re the exception, but generally speaking, four to six weeks is an ideal timeframe to promote new music. That allows you time to make sure everyone who cares about your career and many who don’t are made aware of your plans.
Create a Spotify pre-save campaign.
Streaming is king, so you might as well bow down and acknowledge the reign Spotify has over the music business. Pre-saves ensure people don’t forget your new music is released, and they only take a few minutes to create. SmartURL is a tool which allows you to create different geo-redirect links for music & more. It is completely free, although some features are restricted to registered users only (registration is free!). SmartURL has a tool called ‘Pivot’, which will allow you to put all of your URL links into one landing page, such as iTunes/ Google/Amazon/Spotify, etc, and your fans can then choose their favorite service and be redirected to it. If you’re looking to only set up a pre-save, there is a specific ‘Pre-Save’ tool. This is open to registered users. To set up a pre-save on Spotify you’ll need the URI of your release.
Other pre-save link generators exist. Find the service that best meets your needs and use it.
Update your Spotify profile.
When your new single comes out, and the world is finally paying attention, how will people know who you are and what you’re all about? Spotify profiles can feel sparse at first, but you can make the most of them by adding thoughtful bios, tour dates, and plenty of pictures for your fans to enjoy. If you have the budget, please consider hiring someone to help create a bio and other content for your page.
Submit for Official Spotify Playlist Consideration and Release Radar.
Playlists are the new mixtapes. Placement on popular playlists can turn unknown musicians into viral sensations overnight, sell tickets, and get people talking about your music. Spotify has a great tool for playlist submission that will get your song in front of curators who oversee some of the platform’s most popular playlists. Here’s how it works:
Log in or sign up to Spotify for Artists using a desktop computer.
On the ‘Home’ section, click ‘Get Started’ next to the music you’d like to submit.
If it’s an album or EP, choose one release to submit.
Complete the playlist submission form, giving as much information as possible about the track.
Reach Out to Press and Independent Playlists
You know what is louder than you screaming into the void known as internet about your new material? Dozens of people screaming into the void about your new material.
Haulix is used by thousands of artists to reach tastemakers in all corners of the world with fully-customizable promo pages that compliment the music being shared. You can sign up today for a one-month trial, upload your contacts, and immediately begin promoting your music to people in positions of influence throughout the industry.
If you need help finding independent playlist curators, try this post or this one.
Tease on socials.
Your creativity outside of writing and recording will likely determine how much traction your new single receives online, especially from people unfamiliar with your work. Create and share teaser clips, video clips, memes, song lyrics, behind the track information, and anything else you can think of to promote the song’s upcoming release. If you need help coming up with content ideas, especially if you have a limited budget, we recommend learning from artists like Heart Attack Man and Hot Mulligan. Both bands keep their names circulating throughout their music scene without needing to constantly release polished music videos or studio tracks. Just be yourself (in the most creative way possible).
Prepare your release day social posts
The last thing you want to happen on release day is to find yourself scrambling for content. At least five days in advance of your single release, take time to craft a series of social media posts that are unique to each of your channels. Know what you’re going to post to Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, as well as when you’re going to post it. That way, when the day comes, you can focus all your energy on engaging with listeners in real time.
In a new call with investors, Spotify revealed continued, if slow, growth.
It’s good to be king. Spotify was the first to make a big splash with music streaming, and their early entry into the marketplace helped propel the Swedish company to the top of the food chain. These days, the term Spotify has become synonymous with streaming. “You can find them on Spotify” means, “you can stream their music online.” That’s an excellent place to be, and the latest stats for the music company show the good times are far from over.
Spotify held its Q2 earnings call with investors earlier this week. During the update, the company announced it had passed 232 million monthly active users, up 29% since this time last year. Spotify also boasts 108 million paid subscribers, up 31% year over year. An infographic detailing all the latest developments at the company was also released. Check it out:
The biggest announcements of Spotify’s Q2 earnings report.
Apple Music is Spotify’s closest competitor. At the beginning of July, Apple Music announced it had just surpassed the 60 million subscriber mark, which leaves Spotify with a substantial lead. However, the new data from Spotify reveals a slowing adoption rate for subscribers. The cause for that slowdown is not clear, but market saturation and increased competition are two likely factors contributing to the change.
Spotify has a lot of developments on the horizon that the company hopes will raise the growth rate, including additional podcast content and a device for automobiles that will eliminate the need for terrestrial radio in vehicles. You can learn more about the device, which has been dubbed the ‘car thing,’ in the Music Biz News clip below.
The latest plague to hit the music industry has found itself in a losing battle with the world’s largest video platform.
Stream-ripping is the most popular way to pirate music in 2019. Fear of malware drove people away from torrents long ago, and file-sharing services such as Mediafire lost their luster after they began removing copyrighted material almost as fast as people could upload it, but for the last several years, stream-ripping has been largely untouched by the pressure of the music industry. Only a handful of sites have been taken offline, and far more have risen to replace them.
In virtually every report on piracy released since 2015, industry leaders and organizations alike have noted the need for tech giants to involve themselves in the war against digital theft. YouTube and Google, which are now owned by the same company, have largely remained silent on the matter. That lead the music business to feel as if these platforms didn’t care or that they believed fighting piracy was the industry’s responsibility alone, but this week, something changed.
According to a report from TorrentFreak, which has been confirmed by Haulix Daily, YouTube has recently began blocking stream-ripping sites from pirating music and other copyrighted materials. The number of sites included in the effort is unclear, but research by Haulix staff earlier today (July 11) found the top 10 Google results for ‘YouTube to MP3,’ ‘Youtube MP3,’ and ‘Free YouTube Conversion’ all impacted by the change.
“All my servers are blocked with error ‘HTTP Error 429: Too Many Requests’,” the operator of Dlnowsoft.com informs TorrentFreak. As a result, the stream-ripping site currently displays a “service temporarily unavailable, we will come back soon” error message.
Onlinevideoconverter.com, one of the top 200 most-visited sites on the internet, appears to be affected as well. While videos from sites such as Vimeo can still be converted, YouTube links now return the following error message.
None of the websites impacted by the recent blocks were warned in advance of the changes.
Haulix Daily contacted YouTube for more information, but the company has not responded. YouTube has also made no public comments about the blocks, but the widespread impact makes it clear the company is sending a message regarding their views on piracy. We will bring you more information as it becomes available.
Streaming has made a significant impact on songwriting. So much so, that the entire music industry is trying to catch up to ‘The Spotify Sound.’
No one knew what Spotify would do to the music business. People were quick to assume the easy of access to the majority of all recorded music would lure people away from physical media, but no one thought to consider the ripple effect that seismic shift in consumer behavior would create.
Physical sales of music were on the decline before Spotify launched, but the now ten-year-old company and its competitors in the streaming market have also created a drop in download sales. A few niche formats found success in the early 2010s, specifically vinyl and cassette tapes, but those trends have also fizzled as streaming continues to gain momentum.
The latest evolution resulting from the age of streaming concerns songwriting. With most streaming platforms counting a play after consumers have listened to the track for thirty-seconds, more emphasis than ever is being placed on the way songs begin. There is also added emphasis on the runtime of tracks, as well as the volume of material being released.
On this episode of Music Biz 101, host James Shotwell explains the phenomenon know as ‘The Spotify Sound’ and offers a two-step solution to writing songs that generate a high volume of streams.
The Nielsen mid-year music report is here, and it shows the reign of streaming services over the industry is far from over.
Nielsen is widely considered to be the authority on the business of entertainment, and their latest mid-year report reveals the music industry is in good standing. The recently published data found the first half of 2019 shattered previous 6-month records with more than 507 billion on-demand combined music and video streams and milestones led by singles and albums from Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Halsey, Khalid, BTS, and Bad Bunny.
The fall is widely considered the busiest time of the year for music, so it is likely the total on-demand combined streaming numbers will be equal to, if not greater than the statistics above. If true, that would mean 2019 is on pace to be the first year where streams of recorded music surpass one-trillion plays in the United States and Canada.
To date, many of this year’s most significant music moments were aided by exposure in popular films. The success of A Star Is Born, for example, gave Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s smash hit duet “Shallow” a major boost following the Acadamy Awards. The song has earned more than 684,000 track downloads, 316 million on-demand song streams, and over one-billion audience impression on the radio to date.
Nielsen sites other areas of entertainment as playing a very influential role in the rise of the year’s most popular songs. The music featured in film and television continued its upward trend from 2018 when soundtracks accounted for two of the year’s top 10 biggest sellers (The Greatest Showman and Black Panther: The Album). The impact good placement has on songs can be understood by looking at the success of Post Malone and Swae Lee’s “Sunflower” ( 47.6 million U.S. streams), which appeared in the equally popular animated film Into The Spiderverse, or through the continuing success of rock biopics such BohemianRhapsody and Rocketman.
There is a wide range of Global pop genres that made a sizeable impact in the U.S as well, including K-Pop and Latin. K-Pop’s global domination, which reached record peaks in 2018, continued to reach new audiences.
230,000 equivalent album units earned for BTS’ Map of the Soul: Persona, a career-best for the K-Pop group, during the week ending April 12.
BTS and Halsey’s “Boy With Luv” reached 125 million on-demand streams so far this year, including spikes after their performance at the Billboard Music Awards on May 1.
18.6 million first week on-demand streams for BLACKPINK’s “Kill This Love,” which broke the band’s own record for highest-charting single by a K-Pop girl group on the Billboard Hot 100.
Nielsen Music’s Mid-Year 2019 Charts:
2019’s Mid-Year Top 10 Albums (Based on Overall Equivalent Album Units)
1. Ariana Grande, Thank U, Next (1,552,800) 2. Billie Eilish, When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (1,304,000) 3. Khalid, Free Spirit (929,000) 4. Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born (Soundtrack) (889,000) 5. A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Hoodie SZN (810,000) 6. Post Malone, beerbongs & bentleys (756,000) 7. Drake, Scorpion (718,000) 8. Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody (Soundtrack) (705,000) 9. Juice WRLD, Death Race for Love (675,000) 10. Jonas Brothers, Happiness Begins (663,000)
2019’s Mid-Year Top 10 Selling Albums
1. Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born (Soundtrack) (404,000) 2. Jonas Brothers, Happiness Begins (374,000) 3. Billie Eilish, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (343,000) 4. BTS, Map of the Soul: Persona (343,000) 5. Backstreet Boys, DNA (299,000) 6. Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody (Soundtrack) (253,000) 7. Ariana Grande, Thank U, Next (228,000) 8. Soundtrack, The Greatest Showman (181,000) 9. P!nk, Hurts 2B Human (158,000) 10. Lauren Daigle, Look Up Child (154,000)
2019’s Mid-Year Top 10 Selling Vinyl Albums
1. Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody (Soundtrack) (61,000) 2. Queen, Greatest Hits (49,000) 3. Billie Eilish, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (47,000) 4. Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 (33,000) 5. The Beatles, Abbey Road (33,000) 6. Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon (32,000) 7. Bob Marley & The Wailers, Legend (30,000) 8. Fleetwood Mac, Rumours (29,000) 9. Michael Jackson, Thriller (29,000) 10. Billie Eilish, Don’t Smile at Me (28,000)
2019’s Mid-Year Top 10 Selling Digital Songs
1. Lil Nas X, “Old Town Road” (958,000) 2. Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper, “Shallow” (684,000) 3. Post Malone & Swae Lee, “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)” (488,000) 4. Ariana Grande, “7 Rings” (420,000) 5. Halsey, “Without Me” (388,000) 6. Post Malone, “Wow.” (381,000) 7. Jonas Brothers, “Sucker” (357,000) 8. Lauren Daigle, “You Say” (322,000) 9. Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie, “Me!” (322,000) 10. Ava Max, “Sweet But Psycho” (321,000)
2019’s Mid-Year Top 10 On-Demand Song Streams (Audio and Video Combined)
1. Lil Nas X, “Old Town Road” (1,337,995,000) 2. Post Malone & Swae Lee, “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)” (850,194,000) 3. Ariana Grande, “7 Rings” (776,696,000) 4. Travis Scott, “Sicko Mode” (623,498,000) 5. Halsey, “Without Me” (599,335,000) 6. J. Cole, “Middle Child” (582,748,000) 7. Post Malone, “Wow.” (582,633,000) 8. Blueface, “Thotiana” (588,277,000) 9. Marshmello & Bastille, “Happier” (528,640,000) 10. YNW Melly, “Murder On My Mind” (498,806,000)
2019’s Mid-Year Top 10 On-Demand Audio Streams
1. Lil Nas X, “Old Town Road” (596,113,000) 2. Post Malone & Swae Lee, “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)” (458,470,000) 3. Ariana Grande, “7 Rings” (433,904,000) 4. Post Malone, “Wow.” (416,231,000) 5. J. Cole, “Middle Child” (395,872,000) 6. Meek Mill featuring Drake, “Going Bad” (337,025,000) 7. Halsey, “Without Me” (319,879,000) 8. YNW Melly, “Murder On My Mind” (287,219,000) 9. Lil Baby & Gunna, “Drip Too Hard” (284,613,000) 10. Travis Scott, “Sicko Mode” (276,802,000)
Spotify has changed the music business in many ways, including a few that you may have never considered.
There are many streaming services in the world, but none of them can compare to the size and influence of Spotify. With more than one-hundred million subscribers, the Swedish based company has nearly double the audience of its closest competitor (Apple Music). The company has grown so popular, in fact, that it has become a kind of shorthand for streaming music. People say, “Do you use Spotify,” instead of, “do you subscribe to a streaming music platform?”
Spotify has revolutionized how artists make money from their music. The company pays, on average, between $0.006 and $0.0084 per song stream. A single stream is counted when the listener has played thirty-seconds of the track. If the listener finishes the song, that’s great, but it doesn’t change the amount of money the stream earns for the artist.
With this in mind, it’s easy to understand why many industry experts claim Spotify has changed the sound of music. The ‘Spotify Sound,’ as it has been dubbed, refers to artists who waste no time getting to the heart of their song. The days of lengthy introductions or slow-burning tracks has been replaced by immediate choruses or other attention-grabbing tactics.
Another element of the ‘Spotify Sound’ is the length of a song, which again is a result of the company’s approach to compensating talent. If a play is counted after thirty-seconds of listening time, then artists are not incentivized to make longer songs. The more financially informed approach would be to record more material that is shorter, thus earning more money. A five-minute song earns as much as a two-minute song, but listeners can play multiple two-minute songs in the same amount of time, which means they can earn more money.
A glance at the Spotify and Billboard charts shows the impact of the company’s influence. “Old Town Road,” which has spent three months topping charts, is less than two minutes in length. The remix, which helped catapult the song into the pop stratosphere, runs just over two and a half minutes long.
Artists who have adapted to the influence of the ‘Spotify Sound’ are seeing success on the platform. In a recent digital feature from PBS, two members of the group Frenship credited their efforts to match the changing trends for the success they found with their hit “Capsize.” Check it out:
Other platforms have different rules for what counts as a play. Some services require a certain percentage of the song to be enjoyed before a play is counted, while others have a higher minimum for time spent listening. Both methods of counting plays encourage the same thing. Artists should make shorter, catchier songs if they want to earn big from streaming services.
