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Global music market grew by 18.5% in 2021, driven by paid subscription streaming

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Re: Global music market grew by 18.5% in 2021, driven by paid subscription streaming

#21

I am having a hell of a time adjusting to a streaming-focused music world. On one hand, I love having access to pretty much all the music I want, and have discovered a lot of new artists (through no help of the apps themselves, however). On the other hand, having my library randomly switch on me with songs disappearing, album covers swapping out or renamed is driving me NUTS. Not to mention the general buggyness that…

So stop streaming and start buying. That's still an option. I use streaming services for taste testing, but if I really like something and want to own it, I turn to a DRM-free platform (e.g. Bandcamp) to buy from the artists, then use my own solution for playing that music on my devices (in my case Navidrome). And as a bonus you'll put a lot more money in the pockets of the artists you love.

I've purchased plenty of music, but the problem is that at least on iOS, the music app will still swap out song/album/info/art, or mismatch them altogether. The app itself is optimized for streaming, with everything else being an afterthought.

My favorite way to support artists I love is to go to their tours and buy their merch, including vinyls that are too cumbersome to actually listen to :D.

Re: Global music market grew by 18.5% in 2021, driven by paid subscription streaming

#22
post #15

The self-congratulatory nature of the article and quotes actually betray a self-reassurance, because in reality, record labels are rapidly becoming irrelevant. They're scrambling to figure out how they fit into the TikTok era, where artists no longer require years of financial incubation to succeed. The music industry is growing because independent musicians are finally figuring out how to navigate it without any nee…

Disagree hard - every major label I follow is embracing TikTok and encouraging their artists to leverage the platform for growth. Also, labels have so much infrastructure for marketing, merch, booking shows etc. The need for this support doesn’t magically go away with new distribution channels. It just helps newer artists get signed quicker :p

Re: Global music market grew by 18.5% in 2021, driven by paid subscription streaming

#23
post #15

The self-congratulatory nature of the article and quotes actually betray a self-reassurance, because in reality, record labels are rapidly becoming irrelevant. They're scrambling to figure out how they fit into the TikTok era, where artists no longer require years of financial incubation to succeed. The music industry is growing because independent musicians are finally figuring out how to navigate it without any nee…

>They're scrambling to figure out how they fit into the TikTok era, where artists no longer require years of financial incubation to succeed

Before this was the Napster era, then the MySpace era, then the SoundCloud era, and now the TikTok era. Somehow those damned labels keep figuring out.

Re: Global music market grew by 18.5% in 2021, driven by paid subscription streaming

#24
post #15

The self-congratulatory nature of the article and quotes actually betray a self-reassurance, because in reality, record labels are rapidly becoming irrelevant. They're scrambling to figure out how they fit into the TikTok era, where artists no longer require years of financial incubation to succeed. The music industry is growing because independent musicians are finally figuring out how to navigate it without any nee…

There’s lots of independent artists that are successful, you’re about 5 years late on the “…independent musicians will kill labels…” prediction which hasn’t been borne out. Musicians are actively choosing to sign to labels, even when they don’t have to… make of that what you will.

Re: Global music market grew by 18.5% in 2021, driven by paid subscription streaming

#25
post #19

Art is best when it's unpaid. I don't want you paying me for my music and I won't pay for yours. I am tired of corporate rent seeking in the art space. Yes this is historical for art of all kinds, but I think that was to the detriment of art rather than its benefit. The talent of artists has been used to ingratiate and inflate the perception of some truly awful people and ideas.

How do you expect artists to keep doing what they do and put food on the table?

Like every artist throughout history has?

Re: Global music market grew by 18.5% in 2021, driven by paid subscription streaming

#26
post #15

The self-congratulatory nature of the article and quotes actually betray a self-reassurance, because in reality, record labels are rapidly becoming irrelevant. They're scrambling to figure out how they fit into the TikTok era, where artists no longer require years of financial incubation to succeed. The music industry is growing because independent musicians are finally figuring out how to navigate it without any nee…

The dark side to this is that artists are learning that the things labels did for them are things someone really does have to do, and some hate it. I've seen a couple artists talk about what a pain it is to maintain a social media presence (especially on platforms they hate) because the alternative is obscurity.

My prediction is that there's a pendulum back-swing in progress as people figure out how to offer brand-management-as-a-service without just becoming a label.

Re: Global music market grew by 18.5% in 2021, driven by paid subscription streaming

#27
post #15

The self-congratulatory nature of the article and quotes actually betray a self-reassurance, because in reality, record labels are rapidly becoming irrelevant. They're scrambling to figure out how they fit into the TikTok era, where artists no longer require years of financial incubation to succeed. The music industry is growing because independent musicians are finally figuring out how to navigate it without any nee…

Until the Ticketmaster monopoly goes away I think independent music superstars are gonna be in for a hard time.

Re: Global music market grew by 18.5% in 2021, driven by paid subscription streaming

#28
post #15

The self-congratulatory nature of the article and quotes actually betray a self-reassurance, because in reality, record labels are rapidly becoming irrelevant. They're scrambling to figure out how they fit into the TikTok era, where artists no longer require years of financial incubation to succeed. The music industry is growing because independent musicians are finally figuring out how to navigate it without any nee…

I think labels are more relevant than ever. In a world where it's easier and easier to create music, and distribute it, how do you discover music ? Through curators, podcasts etc. And those are managed by - you guessed it - labels.

Thing is that - in order to be relevant, and play that role - labels need to actually develop a style and expertise in the specific genre/type they want to operate in.

Re: Global music market grew by 18.5% in 2021, driven by paid subscription streaming

#29

I am having a hell of a time adjusting to a streaming-focused music world. On one hand, I love having access to pretty much all the music I want, and have discovered a lot of new artists (through no help of the apps themselves, however). On the other hand, having my library randomly switch on me with songs disappearing, album covers swapping out or renamed is driving me NUTS. Not to mention the general buggyness that…

I encourage you to check out an app called Marvis. It’s a frontend for Apple Music (iOS only) that eliminates a lot of the default client’s issues. Until recently, I was paying for Tidal despite having Apple Music as part of my Apple One subscription, but switched back once I discovered Marvis.

Re: Global music market grew by 18.5% in 2021, driven by paid subscription streaming

#30
post #25
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you expect artists to keep doing what they do and put food on the table?

Like every artist throughout history has?

Patronage? I'm sure you can see how that doesn't scale.
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