I've decided to weigh-in on the discussion about a certain streaming platform, about "content", and where I think the SS Spotify is headed. Apologies for using phrases like 'revenue stream' but I do think I have a point here. Let me know what you think in the comments!

A lot of people are mourning the loss of the music industry as a Damascus where major labels and indie artists can co-exist. I'm not sure it ever existed. Perhaps there was a period in the early 2000s when the music industry seemed fine; a fertile ground where bands like Arctic Monkeys could emerge from the alternative, while the mainstream held its ground and welcomed them with open arms...

Don't get me wrong, I hate the Arctic Monkeys - but what is really important is that, when you scratched below the surface in 2006, all was not what it seemed, especially in the board rooms and BI teams of Sony, Warner et al. There were monsters in the clost, namely Napster.

And then came Spotify...

Fast-forward to 2024 and tweets made recently by Spotify CEO Daniel Ek seem to have skewed the conversation. I wonder, conversely, if all he's done is unwittingly let the cat out of the bag.

Disruptors and indie songwriters and producers have led the charge to explain how much "content" really costs.

In 2024 with the help of AI, we can do so much more ourselves - whether that be creating beautiful images, album artwork, or our own masters. However, that really just means we're cutting corners, because our art needs better funding (not just the occasional stream) - most of us are not earning enough from the music, nor from concerts and merch - which were, until recently, the most lucrative revenue streams for bands and solo artists.

As potential income dwindles, there's less to go round; less support to all the creators in the eco-system. Digital artists, producers, mastering engineers, film makers... Even those people on fiverr.com who rely on low budgets and quick turnaround. Everyone should be worried.

Daniel Ek isn't worried. He's probably rolling around laughing in a pile of banknotes and NFTs.

People like Damian Keyes made an argument that, although there are great benefits to Spotify (not least that they are currently levelling the playing field for musicians' and artists' distribution choices), they should be investing their huge revenue (up 20% to $1 bn dollars in the first quarter of 2024) into nurturing the grassroots. Keyes suggested that Spotify-supported venues in every major city would allow Spotify to spend a fraction of their profits to improve their brand and create opportunities for the next generation of indie artists who upload their music to Spotify et al.

Spotify would, at least, argue that Apple Music, Tidal etc are not doing it, so why should *they*.

Call me a conspiracist, but I think there's something much darker down the rabbit hole.

My feeling is that what we'll see is this:

enabled by a growing proportion of consumers that don't mind much what they're listening to (as long as it sounds like the music they already listen to, and/or is not too jarring or interesting to be considered background music), Spotify will enlist AI to analyse all the songs people listen to most, and simply create more of them. That means a million more Adele, Taylor Swift, Kanye, Akon and Arctic Monkeys songs. Free to create (just like Daniel Ek said) and perfectly palatable for the majority of consumers (especially if they're not paying too much attention).

We've travelled a long way from 18th century Europe, where you could only hear music at community (folk) events or in the church (liturgical/ sacred music). Now people expect their favourite music to be piped at them non-stop (when they ask their Alexa device for it) at minimal cost.

Unfortunately, people's favourite songs are finite in quantity. Don't you think Spotify has realised this, seen the burgeoning ability of AI-created music, and put 2 and 2 together? I think they have, and I think it equals 5.

My solution - add terrible music to Spotify et al, in the hope that it will skew the data in our favour. You can listen to my songs on all streaming platforms - search for Temporal Comet, and enjoy music made by people!