Posted on 03/28/2024 5:26:27 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Count Sheryl Crow among the growing number of famous musicians dismayed by the paltry payments artists receive from Spotify.
The beloved singer, and 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, was recently a guest on Club Random with Bill Maher. The two compared recent trends in the music industry, compared to when Crow was starting out.
“[Now] you create your brand, you advertise yourself, you sell yourself,” the singer explained. “Then the music is just a byproduct of that, and you're selling yourself so that you can sell tickets and get advertisers. That was never part of the way I came up. There just was none of that. In fact, until Bob Dylan did the Victoria's Secret ad (in 2004), nobody did advertisements or took money for anything except for playing music and selling records. So, it's a different thing [now].”
When Maher pointed out that modern artists can’t make money on music alone, especially given the small royalties paid by Spotify, Crow emphatically agreed.
“You cannot make money,” the nine-time Grammy winner declared. “It makes me sad and sick.”
“I hate it because, for me, when you sold records, you knew you had your people,” Crow continued, explaining the connect artists used to make with their fans. “They're people. They were into what you're doing. How does it even work now?”
Rock Stars Slam Spotify's Practices
Crow is far from the first major artist to criticism Spotify’s business practices. David Byrne, the Black Keys and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke are just some of the other rocker’s who’ve called attention to the paltry sums the streamer pays artists. In December, Dee Snider pointed a finger directly at Spotify’s billionaire CEO, Daniel Ek.
“Spotify, the wholesale, you pay the one monthly fee [format], we’re getting so, so little. And that guy from Spotify, he should be taken out and shot," the Twisted Sister frontman declared. "When he heard that artists were complaining about how little we were paid, his response was ‘make more music.’ Like we’re producing cans of Coke.”
Didn’t Michelle Obama lecture students about the importance of not making a lot of money?
Shut up Crow. Continue to wipe your ass with one square
It’s tough when you have to sing for your supper.
Never enough. Blew all your millions and now you’re whining.
Good grief…she had a popular debut album and then was famous for destroying marriages.
If we are gonna go there, we should admit Marianne Faithful to the Hall, too.
Why not Patti Harrison Boyd? Without her we wouldn’t have Something (and by extension, the mildly plagiarized Rain Song by Zeppelin) and Layla.
I’d rather put Chaka Khan in the Hall twice and kick out Ms Have Some Fun.
Crow is just an idiot
Gee Sheryl, your fame lasted about 15 minutes and it was over a long time ago.
Now shut up and go away.
Historical illiteracy does not become you Sheryl.
In 1987 David Bowie & Tina Turner did a commercial for Pepsi. Heck Michael Jackson did a commercial for Pepsi in 1984.
He was so passionate about the product, he set his hair on fire ;-P
So no artist ever thought of licesening their music prior to 2004?
well, you could tour...
Yeah, they did.
I’ve looked into it a bit. They are right. There’s little money in streaming music.
After years of downloading mp3’s for free in the 90s and 2000s the public was conditioned. The business model never recovered.
I had forgotten that bit. :)
Beloved singer????
In California fast food restaurants are paying $20 per hour Sheryl…..
50 millions albums sold and nine Grammys, I’d say so.
sounds just like she did when she panned napster.
And BTW way, I saw this for Bidens fundraiser...
Which job is he talking about? Destroying the border? Arming our enemies? Taking sides against our allies? Is this guy kidding me?
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