Spotify CEO Daniel Ek sparked a fierce backlash from the music industry last week when he said the associated fee of making content was “close to zero,” forcing him to make clear his comments on Sunday.
In a May 29 post, Ek mused that society is experiencing a resurgence of Stoicism, a philosophy adopted by Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, but he initially irritated a few of the musicians who contribute to his platform.
“Today, when the cost of creating content is approaching zero, people can share an incredible amount of content. This got me curious about the concept of long shelf life versus short shelf life,” Ek tweeted on X.
Today, when the associated fee of making content is nearly zero, people can share an incredible amount of content. This got me interested in the concept of long shelf life versus short shelf life. While much of what we see and listen to quickly becomes obsolete, there are…
— Daniel Ek (@eldsjal) May 29, 2024
Musicians, songwriters and producers, amongst others, immediately criticized Ek’s comments on social media, with some declaring the numerous costs related to music, including training, equipment and production.
In response to Ek’s post, New Age artist Cheryl B. Engelhardt said she has invested 1000’s of dollars into producing her music.
“I made my Grammy-nominated album in one go, travelling across the country, producing and mixing it all myself,” Engelhardt said. “I was able to do that because I spent thousands of dollars on quality sound, my education, my equipment, etc. Please get the word out and maybe talk to REAL musicians.”
Another indie artist, Shimmer Johnson, called Ek “unworldly.”
“Don’t say anything if you don’t have anything to compare it to!!! Awesome, you’ve become a billionaire thanks to everyone else’s hard work and time!! Congratulations,” Johnson wrote.
On Sunday, Ek attempted to make clear his comments, saying his earlier definition of content had been “clumsy.”
“I understand it came across as very reductionist, and that was not my intention. Just to be clear – my original point was not to devalue the time, effort, or resources required to create meaningful works, be it music, literature, or other forms of creative expression,” Ek wrote within the post.
He added that the associated fee of “creation tools” equivalent to microphones, laptops and cameras has fallen, resulting in a big increase in the quantity of content people can produce.
Spotify has been criticized has been criticized prior to now for not paying artists, particularly smaller musicians, their fair proportion for his or her content. Ek’s comments also come after Spotify announced its second price hike in a yr on Monday. Individual U.S. subscribers will now pay $11.99, or $1 more per thirty days, for ad-free streaming.
“This update will help us continue to provide value to fans,” Spotify said in an announcement.
Meanwhile, the corporate reported a Record profit in the primary quarter, after the corporate implemented cost-cutting measures last yr that included shedding greater than 1 / 4 of its employees and scale down Plans for its podcast business, partly by cutting original shows.
