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Streaming is secretly fixing your mainstream taste in garbage music
The world's most-streamed artists are a parade of major-label household names: Ariana Grande, Post Malone, Billie Eilish. But hidden below the top rankings, independent artists and labels are taking over a greater share of the music channeling into your headphones.
Why? Music-streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music and Pandora -- and the quirks of how they funnel music you may never have heard otherwise -- are helping fuel an indie golden age just below the surface.
"If there's one thing that streaming has done for sure, it's created a new independent music industry," said Jorge Brea, founder and CEO of Symphonic Distribution, an independent music company in Tampa, Florida, that's distributed music by Waka Flocka Flame and Deadmau5 in his early days.
The meteoric popularity of streaming has lifted fortunes across the recording industry. But streaming also has been quietly shoring up the indie sector that exists outside the big three major labels. By nudging people to listen to a wider variety of artists, the services are helping more listeners stumble on music outside the mainstream. And by reconceptualizing how we pay for music, the services are helping indie artists and labels bask in streaming's glow.
[...] Since the advent of recordings, fans have paid upfront for tunes by picking and choosing specific titles, whether it was a record, CD or digital download on iTunes. In the streaming age, when you rent an all-access pass to an unfathomably deep catalog of virtually all the world's music, money is meted out to artists and music companies in a different way.
Services like Spotify and Apple Music pool together all the money they bring in every month, and artists are paid out in proportion to how much their music is streamed. That means indie artists don't need to overcome the hurdle of getting your attention before they can convince you to open your wallet. You're helping secure their income just by sampling their work.
"Streaming, slowly but surely, is creating a commercial ecosystem in which more artists are able to make a living — and forcing the biggest-earning megastars on the planet to share a chunk of their annual wealth," the Rolling Stone study said.
But that's not to suggest indie artists' livelihoods are a cake walk. In the streaming age, Saban said, middle-class artists have to work harder juggling their income from publishing, streaming, physical sales and touring -- in an environment where fans expect new material on a regular basis.
"Once upon a time, if you had good physical [CD and record] sales, you could also tour and be a happy, middle-class career artist," she said. But in the lives of midtier indie artists today, "They're all just hanging on with their fingernails to the best of their ability and cobbling together a living."
Even if it's a struggle, indie musicians have more of a shot than ever to break out.
"It was very, very difficult to be an independent label," Brea said. "But now independents are primarily going to be the industry as it continues to grow."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 05 2019, @06:49PM
Since I've been streaming (Spotify) I've discovered so much music I like that I've not ever heard before, it's ridiculous. There are complete genres you never hear on the radio, how would you ever discover new music like that without streaming services offering it for your enjoyment?
Best feature of Spotify is hands-down the Discover Weekly playlist. I actually enjoy music these days instead of getting annoyed at the less than mediocre dreck you hear on more mainstream media.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 05 2019, @06:51PM (8 children)
Not me! I still listen to classic rock from the 60s and 70s. It's one of the benefits of having ~6,500 songs loaded on my computer and phone from physical CDs I purchased.
There are also some good classic rock internet radio stations. But streaming? No thank you!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 05 2019, @07:20PM (6 children)
You sound super boring.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 05 2019, @07:31PM (5 children)
Sorry, I can't hear you with all this great music playing ...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 05 2019, @07:38PM (4 children)
32,000 strong here :) Trade ya?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 05 2019, @08:01PM (3 children)
Not if they were recorded after the 70s. Quality over quantity when it comes to music, friends and booze ;-)
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 05 2019, @09:13PM (2 children)
You assume it is all junk... :)
It is basically the CD rips of a few friends and my own sets of music. Anything past 2000 is not worth snagging. They pumped the volume up too much and mash out everything. Victims of the volume wars.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 06 2019, @01:29AM
Try some independents. Sound mixers and producers for folk music, punk, etc. are often the musicians themselves, and if they have a good ear they might want to retain dynamic range and not pump the background singers up to the kick drum's levels. Classical music and "world music" also. There's some absolutely astounding African music that has long roots but is only making it out now and is often still rawer one-mic live recordings, which are worth listening to over and over. Remember the first time Led Zeppelin took you to another place? There's similarly powerful (though aesthetically very different!) movements and transitions and a feeling of space/volume/fullness in some of it.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday July 06 2019, @02:30PM
Pop some Joe Bonamassa in your flac player - he was super solid in 2000, still super solid in 2014, and I have no reason to believe he's dropped his standards. Too mainstream blues for you? Try his Rock Candy Funk Party stuff instead!
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday July 06 2019, @02:36PM
As someone who's been working on all kinds of devices that push audio and video over worldwide networks for nearly 25 years, I call it "streaming". So did Nullsoft when they created Shoutcast, for example.
Eating, eating? I hate eating! Give me proper food instead.
That's how silly your statement appears to me.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 05 2019, @07:20PM (4 children)
> The world's most-streamed artists are a parade of major-label household names: Ariana Grande, Post Malone, Billie Eilish.
Anyone who's heard of these people is spending too much time consuming fake news.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 05 2019, @07:42PM
spending too much time consuming fake news
while trying to be snarky. Think about it. Payola could still be going strong. With streaming you could actually move people around in their moods. As most music of a similar style/tempo can be laddered into other styles/tempos. They would never really know it was happening. Poof you have put someone at the top of the charts by using existing music people already like. It probably would not even be very hard. You give free skips to people who rate the songs they listen to and tag the moods. You do not even have to do any work. Your 'customers' do it for you. Now that I think about it I would put this at a 95% chance of really going on.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Gaaark on Friday July 05 2019, @09:21PM (1 child)
I was coming to post this^
The only one i've heard of is Ariana Grande, because my son watches 'Victorious' and 'Sam and Cat'. She's actually very talented, but i haven't listened to her music outside of those 2 shows.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 06 2019, @09:47AM
I'll give you that she can sing, but she's got a rotten taste in music.
(Score: 2) by kazzie on Saturday July 06 2019, @04:18PM
I've heard of the first one, but only because one of her concerts had a bomb explosion outside.
(I'm pretty sure that wasn't fake news, though.)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 05 2019, @07:27PM (17 children)
Try KFJC (kfjc.org) KZSU, or dozens of other non-commercial stations.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 05 2019, @08:39PM (16 children)
JAZZ.FM (Toronto, https://jazz.fm/ [jazz.fm] ) -- excellent station
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Friday July 05 2019, @09:26PM (15 children)
OH, DAMN NO!
Jazz? Might as well listen to modern country. FUCK DAT!
Rock, old blues, old old country (the closer to blues the better). And alternative rock type stuff.
But not Jazz. NEVER Jazz. No. Nope. Nuh-uh.
-
-
-
no.
-
-
-
damn no.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 3, Informative) by RamiK on Friday July 05 2019, @11:08PM (14 children)
Lets evaluate that statement:
Gypsy jazz:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY0-l09svK0 [youtube.com]
Composed jazz (a bit too long but should be fine on the first listen):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpmOTGungnA [youtube.com]
Modern blues-rock (safe bet):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09RbGsUkRIc [youtube.com]
Metallic swing (probably not but worth a mention):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osTu38yuuHo [youtube.com]
Anyhow, I'm cheating with the Jazz examples since they're not really improvised and are fairly melodic or rhythmic.
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(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Saturday July 06 2019, @03:10AM (2 children)
1. No
2. No
3. Not very good, would not listen to
4. No.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by RamiK on Saturday July 06 2019, @12:32PM (1 child)
Oh. Check out "contemporary acoustic blues" guys like Charlie Musselwhite, Chris Thomas King and Corey Harris:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laWj4OOGo7c [youtube.com]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALU5g6Qqi08 [youtube.com]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTGfbYtw1e4 [youtube.com]
For me as someone learning guitar it comes up in fingerstyle and slide guitar circles as Martin Simpson explains and demonstrates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHY74AjKRjI [youtube.com]
But I'm trying to step away from just doing pentatonic right now so you can count me out :D
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(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Saturday July 06 2019, @11:38PM
1. Not bad, a bit slow, but fine.
2. Same, actually.
3. Slow, again, but good: nice fingering, good guitar work!
4. That's great: nice song, great guitar work. Thanks!
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Saturday July 06 2019, @03:21AM
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PsfcUZBMSSg [youtube.com]
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd60nI4sa9A [youtube.com]
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h3yd-c91ww8 [youtube.com]
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday July 06 2019, @09:06PM (9 children)
Only listened to #4 so far, and I reckon that would frighten anyone who doesn't already like some kind of jazz so far from the scene that they would never even consider returning. If you want rhythm and blues musicians (not to be confused with R&B "musicians"), then recommend Jacque Lousier Trio. Not that shit. You've set the popularity of jazz back a decade with that nonsense.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by RamiK on Saturday July 06 2019, @10:01PM (8 children)
The Classical Jazz Quartet is close enough. Regardless, I wasn't recommending so much as testing the water to see where the blues ends and jazz begins for Gaaark. Between the four links you can draw a Venn diagram of harmony, rhythm and orchestration on the range between blues and rock with swing in-between. And like it or not, the Diablo Swing Orchestra falls in that range.
Anyhow, my followup represent the result: Pentatonic 12 bars acoustic blues and and kin. If you disagree feel free to link something specific.
Jazz was more popular a decade ago: https://news.jazzline.com/news/jazz-least-popular-music-genre/ [jazzline.com]
My impression was that when people say they hate Jazz they mean they hate music school grads aimlessly running patterns around the chord-scale system with no respect to melody, song structure or rhythm. But again, if you think I'm off, feel free to link something different.
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(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Sunday July 07 2019, @12:38AM (3 children)
"My impression was that when people say they hate Jazz they mean they hate music school grads aimlessly running patterns around the chord-scale system with no respect to melody, song structure or rhythm."
This^, plus the 'big band' sound and the cacophony of 'jamming'.
Too much trumpet and clarinet screeching..... No thanks.
That's why I like old blues: the more 'modern' blues starts getting into that big band sound.
I like one, two guys, steel guitr, harmonica....simple stuff.
The more people, the morel instruments....forget it.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Sunday July 07 2019, @09:26AM (1 child)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Sunday July 07 2019, @12:33PM
Mmmmm.... acceptable.
Leave out the drums/cymbals and it would be better.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by RamiK on Sunday July 07 2019, @03:42PM
Yeah a lot of those get pretty messy. But there are exceptions where it works for the piece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBupII3LH_Q [youtube.com]
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(Score: 2) by toddestan on Sunday July 07 2019, @05:07AM
Blues is actually fairly easy to nail down. In order to be Blues music, you are limited to a few chord progressions. Don't use those chord progressions? Then you're not Blues.
I enjoy listening to Blues from time to time, but not in large doses as it gets old after a while when it all starts sounding very same-y.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Sunday July 07 2019, @09:24AM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Sunday July 07 2019, @01:42PM (1 child)
#3, the blues /All Them witches/ was excellent, but is straight up 3/4 blues. The name does ring a bell, but that is the kind of style I like (this is one of the better live bands locally (I say is, I've not seen them for a while, I hope they've not split)) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic_KWguzZGk
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by RamiK on Sunday July 07 2019, @03:23PM
No worries. By the looks of it I've switched #1 and #2 anyhow :D
Testing for electrified / distorted sound while isolating everything else. I figured if you like blues but don't like that song you must be really REALLY into acoustic solo with no orchestration. It worked out fine.
The solo guitar's gain and distortion is way too high. Maybe if it wasn't so damn high in the mix it would have been fine but it completely drowns the vocals and drums...And this is coming from someone that listens to death and black metal 80% of the time.
compiling...
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 05 2019, @07:47PM (10 children)
it was that big music labels have shit taste in music. Mostly I think they were just after bands that were generic enough to push, and talentless enough to stay the labels bitch.
99% of what I listen too these days I wouldn't have ever even heard if it wasn't for the Internet. Which is a good enough reason by itself to regard the MPAA and the RIAA and any politician who takes money from them, with utter fucking contempt.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday July 05 2019, @07:50PM (5 children)
Yes, there's plenty of good (and mediocre) music being made outside of the control of labels and the "pop" genre. No need to limit yourself to a selection of classic rock songs, unless that's what you want to listen to, which is also fine.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday July 05 2019, @08:24PM (2 children)
It's good, for artists, but maybe bad for the overall cohesion of society that we're re-fragmenting our musical world.
It's not like there ever was a time where _everyone_ absolutely loved the same kind of music, but, like a B.S. degree from a major University would ensure that you at least had some covered some common academic ground with every other B.S. degree holder from every other major University, children of the '80s (self included, though I'm more late-70s influenced) all at least knew what Thriller, Madonna, Purple Rain, Motley Crue, and Van Halen were...
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday July 05 2019, @08:35PM (1 child)
Despite the plummeting cost of entry (one person with a laptop and some peripherals can replace a music studio), an explosion of content, and free ways to upload and promote music, a lot of the money and attention goes to a small handful of artists. This is true even with services like Spotify and Apple Music that could expose you to lesser known musicians, but are paid to push certain artists.
Spotify users push back at the over-the-top Drake promotion [techcrunch.com]
Spotify users demand refunds over Drake promotion [bbc.com]
A lot of people know about Kanye West, Drake, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, etc. Geriatric types might not know... or pretend not to know.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=filcUwJR-sU [youtube.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Friday July 05 2019, @08:56PM
Um... I recognize about half those names, could place most of them together with their more popular music - maybe...
Still, promotion is virtually everything in this world, particularly in Art, but even in medicine and science. I spent 12 years at a company that literally made the better mousetrap, but the CEO didn't want to invest in sales and marketing, so only a tiny tiny portion of the world beat a path to our door. I mean, the guy was pathological - we were in a hard spot financially (as we often were) and I suggested that somebody take a few days to go back through our 25+ years of customer files and just try calling these people to see if they had heard about our new, updated, low cost, much smaller product that could replace or augment the old device they bought from us all those years ago... he agreed when I said it, then 2 hours later he changed his mind, he wanted sales but didn't want to invest _any_ effort in selling. I think it was a kind of point of pride, and also a "well, if we had tried that we would have done better" thing for him.
Without promotion, artists (of all kinds, including street cons) starve. You've got to get in people's faces, talk up the product, whether that's feet on the street, banner ads via Google, Superbowl spots, direct mail, "educational seminars", or whatever - it all costs time and effort, and when you use other people's time and effort to assist you that costs money.
Music promotion is a sort of sick puppy corner case, where you can pour enough promotion behind an "artist" and make virtually any act a #1 hit.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2, Troll) by Gaaark on Friday July 05 2019, @09:30PM (1 child)
and one of the reasons i appreciate people like Trent Reznor (NIN) is because he writes, sings and plays almost all of the instruments on almost everyone of his songs (studio albums).
Today, they can barely sing but couldn't write or play worth a damn, but HEY! I'M FAMOOOS!
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Sunday July 07 2019, @01:51AM
Okay: someone's a Bieber fan, so now I'm a troll!
Look at me...I'm a troll! At least I have good taste in music, guy. I pity YOU!
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Friday July 05 2019, @08:14PM (3 children)
> big music labels have shit taste in music.
And Hollywood blockbusters are shit movies. And fast food chains produce usually shit food... The list goes on.
It turns out that there is much profit to be generated in outputting shit, because so many people buy...
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday July 05 2019, @09:00PM (1 child)
Cheap and familiar beats out strange expensive quality, at least in the mass market.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 06 2019, @03:32PM
"at least in the mass market."
Back then, there wasn't anything but mass market for most people.
Unless you lived in a major urban center where you could go to shows regularly for a few bucks or raid the back record racks at indie record shops, the radio and the corporate record shops were the only exposure you got. And even if you were in a major urban center, your selection was limited by shelf size.
I don't know where people get the idea that freedom of choice is "counterculture". No, it is just freedom of choice. "Counterculture" is just another marketing term used to manufacture suckers.
I get that the Paredo principle applies to the music market. But the market used to have a shit ton of artificial constraints in the supply chain, and there are clearly people trying to return us to that. I may think gregorian-chant gogo fusion is crap, but I'll fight for your right to listen to it. Which is quite an opposing view from the RIAA or the MPAA take.
(Score: 2) by Osamabobama on Friday July 05 2019, @09:44PM
I, too, have refined tastes and look down on pop culture.../s
There's a difference between honest criticism and pop culture bashing. It's the generalizations that give it away.
Except with fast food--that stuff really is crap. When the target price range is the bottom of the market, the quality will also be the bottom of the market. Of course, where you draw the line between crap fast food and reasonable fast casual is determined by how strong your counterculture game is. For instance, are you cool enough to call Panera crap? (Of course you are. That was a joke.)
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Friday July 05 2019, @08:06PM
So true -- nowadays, you also have to sell t-shirts [youtu.be].
(Score: 3, Informative) by JoeMerchant on Friday July 05 2019, @08:11PM (1 child)
Predictions from 20 years ago are coming true:
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/l/long-tail.asp [investopedia.com]
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Sunday July 07 2019, @02:34PM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 3, Interesting) by ikanreed on Friday July 05 2019, @08:17PM (2 children)
I think both the summary and the story dance around the actual forces at work here. They talk about it all like it "just happens" rather than being purposeful.
1. The spotify people pay way way way more money per stream to big names than small ones, by virtue of bargaining ability. They redirect people to things were they pay a fraction of the normal fractions of pennies per play instead.
2. They will never squash big names entirely, because music is a social activity. People, especially young, advertiser friendly people, often have peer pressure as a major influence on what they listen to.
And every force like this will have blowback
To #1. The labels will possibly threaten some kind of pullout if their music is actively dis-incentivized too much by algorithm. Or possibly increase their musician base so they can act as both union and middle man.
To #2. There will likely be new approaches the labels take to "making" big names, since all-day every-day on radio is increasingly inviable. I don't know what that approach will be, but I know it'll happen.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday July 05 2019, @08:31PM (1 child)
Which is how Pop Will Eat Itself [popwilleatitself.net].
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 05 2019, @09:32PM
http://www.toomuchjoy.com/?p=1397 [toomuchjoy.com]
The labels do not care. Probably huge swaths of their catalogs are unrecouped. They have 0 interest in actually fixing that. Why should they? It is basically free money at this point.
If they ever had a real audit the results would probably be shocking and instantly put them out of business.
(Score: 2) by Farkus888 on Friday July 05 2019, @10:13PM
I have the opposite experience on Google play music. Fire it up with something truly weird and you'll be listening to something you've heard 1000 times in the radio in about 5 songs. Maybe they just play whatever they want after the first song and these people think anything that isn't currently 10 radio rotation is weird.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by looorg on Friday July 05 2019, @10:41PM (3 children)
I have actually started to listen more and more to radio. It's usually a fair bit of a mix of music and music styles even I tune into a station that cater to a specific niche (80's, country, classic, whatever ...). While streaming appears to go for algorithmic selection and trying to play me the same type of song over and over and over again (oh you liked this song, then our "AI" also calculate that you will like this this and that cause they are about the same -- so I'm not really getting a good mix am I?).
Not to mention that my radio doesn't snoop on me unlike Spotify, itunes, Youtube or wherever you stream your music from.
That said yes there is this distinct possibility that I'm getting feed major record label artists instead of the indies. But since I'm old I don't listen to new music anyway so they are somewhat failing there really. The artists I like just don't put up that many albums anymore, in fact there are so few of them I have started to resort to getting bootleg live recordings and such.
Never even heard any of their music, but then as noted I'm not a teenage girl. The only one I even heard about was Grande, not that as noted I ever heard any of her music, but that is cause she was playing when the blew up the bomb in 2017 in Manchester.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 06 2019, @01:34AM (1 child)
Here here for AM and FM. My N900 can receive both. Indy-ish stations (I'm urban) are amazing and play stuff where the most poppy is Snotty Nosed Rez Kids. College radio, community radio - the longer lived shows have the love and attention of the best of the podcasters, and incredible variety of music from hour to hour.
Hell yeah for streaming, the old-school tower antenna way!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 06 2019, @11:56AM
The nice thing about your N900 is that in can broadcast FM! Screw all that difficult bluetooth and broken audio cables.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 07 2019, @05:57PM
You can listen to radio and stream: https://radio.garden/ [radio.garden]