Today, somewhat overshadowed by a pandemic, the wrath of Mother Nature, violence, racism, narcissism and a new Bill & Ted movie, is the first of three planned Record Store Day drops, which unlike "traditional" Record Store Days, will not be aimed at bringing people into record shops, though some have created safe possiblities, but to allow store owners to offer the product online beginning at 1:PM, and then two more times in September and October respectively. But some things never change, like the ongoing discussion about streaming and the pathetic business practices of Spotify, a company relentlessly accused of ripping off the artist.
A new article written by Craig Havighurst expands on this, discussing the new struggles of artists during a pandemic, their inability to make a living now that live music gatherings are indefinitely shut down, and the ups and mostly downs of streaming music versus buying music.
As someone who still spends about as much money on records, new and
old, each month as he does on his gas & electric and phone bill
combined, and who once owned a record store, I can tell you this, Spotify
really hasn't changed things all that much for me or the people who
have been buying physical product their whole lives. I love
Spotify for its convenience and yeah, they really have an awful business
model for artists, but I don't believe for one nanosecond that if Spotify
or any streaming services shut down, artists would sell more records. The people who stream or
steal music stopped spending money 20 years ago. It's become a "been there/done that" way of life. The quality of the music matters little to them, and the physical product is simply a waste of space and money. That's fine, for those people.
But for those like me, who
still spend stupid money on new vinyl copies of records that cost 75%
less to buy as CDs or MP3s, the labels, what's left of them, still rape
us with "all or nothing" product. You want the bonus tracks from
Paul McCartney's "Egypt Station," buy the box for $279 after you've already dropped $25 for the first version...or find the bonus tracks on YouTube. Easy.
Also, every
artist is different. Some more enthusiastic about their physical
product, others lazy. I've been burned a number of times going thru
GoFundMe or even directly through the artist. Pay a premium
months in advance so the artist gets the money only to see the record
for sale a month earlier on Amazon for half the price. I'm an adult, I should have some patience. WRONG!
If the new record by an artist I love is streaming a week before the vinyl is released, I will wait. I don't want to stream the new record. I want an old school experience. I want to hear the new record on my turntable not on my phone. Chuck Prophet, along with so many others, had their records delayed and then delayed again due to the pandemic. Prophet released his album a song at a time. It killed the experience. The record is finally out, as a whole pie! That's how it is done. That's the way to listen to an album, from top to bottom. But the question remains, what caused the delay? No tour, no album? A lack of manpower to produce the product during a pandemic? Other records came out. Who chooses what gets delayed?
Things have always been tough for musicians, both before and during the pandemic. But constantly blaming Spotify is getting boring. There's no question, something is horribly wrong with Spotify's business model. 1,000,000 streams equals...what? About $9.33 for the artist? But has anyone truly done the math? How many more copies of Cheap Trick's last album would have sold if streaming did not exist? Probably as many as days before the first streaming sight popped up. It's not the Spotify. It's the people, still. It's still the greedy labels and still the people who could care less about supporting the artist.
Things have always been tough for musicians, both before and during the pandemic. But constantly blaming Spotify is getting boring. There's no question, something is horribly wrong with Spotify's business model. 1,000,000 streams equals...what? About $9.33 for the artist? But has anyone truly done the math? How many more copies of Cheap Trick's last album would have sold if streaming did not exist? Probably as many as days before the first streaming sight popped up. It's not the Spotify. It's the people, still. It's still the greedy labels and still the people who could care less about supporting the artist.
Southern Culture On The Skids is a band that makes all of their money on gigs and merch. There are no gold records hanging in their homes. Yet, drummer Dave Hartman embraces the platform and creates Spotify playlists of his favorite drum grooves. Those who love the band will buy their records and CDs and t-shirts, while conveniently enjoying a SCOTS mix they've created for themselves on Spotify. For the fans who have always purchased physical product, streaming just won't do.
Or take Don Henley...please...an artist richer than god who still needs to spend his remaining years before congress fighting for the two bits he is owed because some YouTuber used five seconds of an Eagles song in an instructional video.
Does all of this matter in the big picture? I say no. If you're getting your music ONLY by visiting blogs and grabbing a shady download, it's unlikely that you will spend dime one on a new record or CD, and Record Store Day probably annoys you for different reasons than it annoys me. But for those who still get a thrill digging through record bins, and tearing open the shrink on a brand new album or CD, Spotify makes no difference and will not change that experience.
That said, I picked up a half dozen new RSD pieces and I love them all. The Who's "Odds & Sods" has been expanded with 15 additional tracks, with all of the tracks getting new half-speed mastering at Abbey Road studios. The sound is stunning, as is the packaging, a diecut gatefold, with red and gold vinyl and new liner notes.
Bowie's "I'm Only Dancing" features a 1974 live set from late in the "soul tour" with a unique setlist, including rarely played songs from "Young Americans" which would not be released until months later. The set sounds terrific. Unlike "David Live," which had issues with the recording, so overdubs were needed, giving the whole performance a slightly fake sound, this live set is pure and simple and kicks ass.
I also highly recommend the new Steven Wilson stereo remix of Roxy Music's debut. That record was a game changer, but always had a thick muddy sound. This new edition explodes out of the speakers.
COVID 19 has been a motherf**ker. If you have come out of this unscathed, consider yourself lucky. I know I do. Maybe today isn't the best day for some to spend $100 record shopping, with so many unknowns still looming large. But most of what I am saying would have applied pre-pandemic, so there's that.
18 comments:
Really nice piece Sal!
Spotify wise, I'm not a user as you know and this week I wrote an outside article saying why. Like you I don't agree with the business model, but my lack of use wasn't really about that. I don't want to listen to music as a playlist that I can't keep track of. Poor sound quality and poor internet connections and much more come into the equation.
But you are right, people wouldn't sell more physical copies if there were no streaming services. Maybe more downloads would sell because that income stream has declined so much because of the Spotifys of the world.
I look at Spotify as a radio station and if that's what you want to discover music on, you may find the odd thing that you like. For me there is too much and unless you find a user that suits your personal tastes with regular playlists it is a maze. It does allow you to listen to an artist before you buy, the trouble is no one buys.
You can't change change. The internet has been great for finding information in a way we never could and you meet people you never would. But it is only great if you know what you are looking for.
You and I have similar vast tastes in some slightly different areas at times, but we will always be there. But the lack of a radio station that you can listen to in a comfy chair during the evenings has gone and with it our patience to spend two hours listening to 90% of music we don't like to get to that we do.
Gone are the print writers you trusted or the record store employee who just wanted you to buy great music. There are the odd bloggers who are worth reading and allow you to discover stuff, but even with all my connections, I'd say I have half a dozen at best.
The real problem is over two decades old. People got used to music being free whether illegal then or streaming now. It devalued the art in a way that is never gonna change. The most concerning thing is that the avid collectors and fans are getting older and not being replaced by like minded individuals. We will fly the flag until our last breadth, but the youth that drove music would now rather spend their £50 on Call Of Duty.
Spotify has never interested me nor can I imagine a time that it ever will. My record, CD and digital collection along with my daily cybertravels to find new music will more than satisfy me.
But I was intrigued by the new 2-LP version of "Odds & Sods" until I went online and saw that, with postage, I would pay around $60 to get a half dozen or so songs I was interested in and didn't already have.
The proper cost for the RSD Odds & Sods 2 LP set is a list price of $34.99, which is the most anyone should be charging. Some stores are actually nice enough to charge a few dollars less with the hopes of moving product.
My argument remains. An improved version of something that already exists, with better sound and cooler packaging matters less and less to people these days, especially when they can hit a few keys and just "get it." I paid $32 for my copy. It's a lovely set, which sounds terrific and improves upon anything I have and I'm thrilled to own it. For others, that thrill is long gone.
The Odds & Sods release is exceptional. I paid $32.99 at my local indie and they had a bunch of copies as of this afternoon. As Sal said...this is how to do a release.
Spotify? It's s preview service IMHO. If I am on the fence I'll give a release a listen. I still NEED to own my music. The wife and kids though, well that's a different story.
I just wish there was some rhyme and reason to the pricing for RSD. Odds & Sods is $32.99, Elton John is $39.99 for a double lp version of his s/t and a U2 12" is like $26 bucks. None of it makes any sense.
Oh well. I wasn't going to do this today but went out just like my wife said I would. I was good...just Odds & Sods and Stormwatch 2.
Happy Hunting to those who are looking.
You note that "Record Store Days will not be aimed at bringing people into record shops" but the Evening Times reports that "Queues (are) seen across Glasgow to mark Record Store Day" https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/18685431.queues-seen-across-glasgow-mark-record-store-day/
Hopefully everyone was social-distancing!
As someone who worked in the industry, I cannot agree with you more about greedy labels as I try to buy merchandise and CDs direct from the artists (when on tour)
"But for those like me, who still spend stupid money on new vinyl copies of records that cost 75% less to buy as CDs or MP3s" The vinyl is cheaper than the Cd's? I haven't seen that. Like OldRockr1 I too listen to Spotify, to preview items then if I like them I buy them.
Read it again, Jobe.
"Records that cost 75% less to buy as CDs or MP3s."
I'm apparently an outlier at Burning Wood. I have NO MONEY at all. Used to spend crazy money on CDs. I fantasize about buying the albums I love in physical form from the artist website just to support them. Plus the better sound quality. But after spending enough money on music to consider myself the owner of a lifetime pass to all recorded music and seeing I have -- wait, let me check -- no income, I live on streaming. I'd up the sound quality if I could afford it. I'd pay $15 a month rather than $10 for better sound quality or if the money improved royalty sums to artists. But I LOVE streaming. I decide I want to binge on Tom Petty, who I've never really paid attention to? Instead of buying 20 albums (I already owned a greatest hits set, which remains my favorite) at a considerable sum, I just do it. Charlie Parker turns 100? I can listen to the new Savoy 10 inch compilation or the playlist set up by a New Yorker writer. How is this not Star Trek the future is here amazing? Streamers have HUGE gaps, the sound quality is...not so bad on my poor man's earbuds and decent in the car, where I do most of my listening and artists deserve more. How cruel that acts make most of their money in live music and now there's no live music.
So I think streaming has a ton to recommend it and if anyone can sample there and purchase the stuff worth repeating, god bless. I'd do that too. Finally, I don't think Don Henley is being greedy. YouTube, Tik Tok and others make BILLIONS of content they didn't create and should pay more to artists. YouTube in particular has crappy royalties that are a shadow of the piddling royalties paid by Spotify and Apple. I truly think he's devoting his time for the artists who never got a pay day like he did. And it is possible the streamers will someday hit enough subscribers that the money will become significant for acts. I envy those who can buy an LP and play it on a nice stereo or slap a CD into their car player. I'd love to have the passenger seat littered with silver discs like back in the day. Maybe someday. But first, vote early and often people! And then vote again.
There wasn't much I wanted on this RSD; most of the titles I'm interested in come out in Oct and Nov. That said i did order the 2 Hawkwind titles, the live Bert Jansch anf Tangerine Dream Tyger. I passed on the Roxy since I recently picked up a copy; though I love Steven Wilson's work. I'm considering the Bowie.
As for Spotify, like someone hear said, I use it like the radio. Sometimes I have it play a playlist while I read. I use it to check out music before I buy. It's also great to use when I travel; if that ever happens again; Damn this pandemic
Spotify = Radio?
Never thought to use it that way. If I did, I'd probably use it less.
I pick up a new issue of Mojo or Uncut, read about dozens of records, old or new, in the review section or when reading an article about one artist and BOOM, it's all there on Spotify...well... nine times out of ten. If I really love it, I'll buy it. It's the best and easiest way...I think...to preview full records before dropping the money.
I'll make playlists for myself if I want to binge on one artist, or just have some fun with a theme.
Rarely do I hit "What's new for you?" or "Your Daily Mix."
For me Spotify has been a necessity during these years of reduced disposable income, where my money is taken up by mortgage payments, car payments, school payments, etc. I would love to buy physical media like I used to, but that's just not in the cards right now. I do still buy CDs from artists that I've followed all my life, but that's only amounting to 10 -15 per year.
So, I use Spotify to listen to things I won't be able to buy. But I've also found that I use it to listen to things I already have and just find it easier to dial it up rather than pull it out. Like Michael, I do most of my listening in the car or at work, where the convenience factor can't be beat. Just this week, I listened to Aztec Camera's High Land, Hard Rain twice. I hadn't played it in many years, and I felt like putting it on while I was in the car. That near-instant gratification is hard to beat.
I do wish their business model were better for artists, but just like with the record labels, the big artists get the majority of the spoils. I would imagine if I played a Drake album, he'd be getting more from than Aztec Camera did from my two plays this week. All I can do is keep playing the artists I love and hope they see a little something in their royalty stipends.
I usually listen to the Discovery Weekly playlist that the algorithm serves me up each week. I've found many different artists and songs that way, and I'm always delighted when a song I know comes up that fits right into the mix.
Long story short: I'm all in on Spotify, despite its imperfections.
To Bill and Michael Giltz,
I hope what I wrote didn't imply guilt or shame in streaming. I am all for Spotify. I love what it offers the user and I use it often. How it handles the artist is a different matter altogether. But more to the point, I was really trying to address the idea, however convaluted, that doing away with streaming doesn't automatically mean more sales and hearing yet one more argument saying so has become a bore.
And as always, I could be very wrong.
Sal--
No, I didn't take any shaming away from your comments.
To support your point, at this stage I wouldn't be buying any more physical media if Spotify didn't exist. I'd be diving deeper into my own collection, and wondering what all the fuss was about with the Lemon Twigs.
"and wondering what all the fuss was about with the Lemon Twigs."
Very nice. Subtle.
I'm probably the last dinosaur roaming the Earth still downloading from iTunes. I feel by doing that I'm acknowledging the artists and feel that maybe a few of my pennies goes directly to them. My iTunes library is over 22k songs (half of which are CDs I downloaded to iTunes years ago). For many on this board, 22k songs may not be much but I'm pretty proud of that. I still have thousands of CDs in storage (much to my wife's chagrin) but no CD player. At this point, I have no intention of changing.
As for Spotify, of course I use the service. But it was always at work. Not that we're mostly working from home, I really don't much time with it. But like Sal, if I come across an interesting review in Mojo/Uncut/Q (RIP), then I refer to Spotify to decide if the album/song is worth an investment on iTunes. And I have no use for Pandora.
I do think it's interesting that Spotify's betting their future not on music but on podcasts and E-sports.
Lastly, can someone explain how the overall general public decided that they aren't willing to pay for music but the book publishing industry is flourishing?
Excellent article! I still haven't Spotify'd yet, just lazy I guess. It would be a good place to post my mixtape/CDs, with any luck they'll have some of the fairly obscure stuff I like. I go to a site where I can grab new releases and I use that to audition before buying.
I'm on a tighter budget than usual these days, but I still buy CDs by SCOTS and other people I like. LPs are too pricey. They're mainly on small labels, so they're not selling much to begin with, and the Covid has killed their touring income.
I agree A S H- very few writers, and no record store employees to trust anymore, at least for what I listen to. I wouldn't mind finding a few more trustworthy bloggers.
"and wondering what all the fuss was about with the Lemon Twigs."
Very nice. Subtle.
:)
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