The Value of Music
Do the Richest Artists Deserve Even More?
“An Ed Sheeran stream is not worth the same as a dream of rain falling on a roof,” Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl said, according to Music Business Worldwide. A statement like this stops me in my tracks because, as a lover of indie music, I believe that all music is valuable.
Who determines the value of music? I hope not just major label CEOs. Is listening to pop songs really more valuable than a good night of sleep supported by a soothing sound loop?
Kyncl chose among easy targets for his comparison: field recordings, noise, or AI-generated music. But when he goes on, it becomes clear that he (and others in his orbit) think that streams from the top 40 artists are also more valuable than those from artists with a smaller audience. Or, in other words: top artists who already get the most money out of the streaming services because of their high streaming numbers deserve an even bigger share because they have the most streams.
To bring his argument further home, Kyncl brings the example of star players in a sports team who earn more than their teammates even though they essentially do the same job. The comparison is skewed though: winning games is all that sports teams and their fans want. For music, the expectations are far more diverse.
The assumption that we all want to listen to only a few top stars and the rest is just noise and hence should be devalued is not only wrong but also undermines the diversity and richness of the music industry.
For me, an Ed Sheeran stream is worth precisely zero dollars because I don’t want to listen to his music. So it is unfair that even a bigger share of my $9.99/month should go into his and his label’s pockets.
More ideas exist on distributing streaming royalties because everybody is unhappy with the current so-called “pro-rata” system, partly because it allows widespread fraud with machine-generated music and streaming farms. The streaming services do not care so much as they pass the money through, but artists and labels become increasingly angry.
But there are certainly better ways to assess the value of music than by its popularity.
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Song Pick of the Day
Song Pick of the Day
Listen to/watch all seven songs on YouTube. Follow our daily updated playlists on YouTube and Spotify for the 50 latest Song Picks of the Day.
A lot of music from Nashville has been crossing our paths lately. Like, Lexi Aviles, who records smart pop songs under the name Love You Later. “Long Sleeves” is from her latest EP, From the Window Seat, and is about the rollercoaster of a complicated relationship. And with long sleeves, she means really long, as you can see in the video:
The Californian six-piece Last Planet takes you to a day of reflections on the beach in their latest song, “Seaglass.” There is a lot of atmosphere in the track: the environmental sounds, a lonesome saxophone, and singer Rai Ahmed-Green’s longing vocals convey that moment of clarity that often happens when looking at the ocean.
The line “Push the pedal to the floor” you may not expect in a downtempo trip-hop track. But the way Vif Nüte, one half of the duo VEiiLA, sings it comes with reluctance and a dose of menace. That makes “Push the Pedal” a fascinating sonic trip.
If you need relief from such intensity, the next song delivers it with beautiful spring vibes. Június Meyvant and Arny Margret are both on our Iceland favorites playlist, and when we received word that they collaborated for “Spring,” we knew it would become a Song Pick of the Day before we even listened.
Rachel Chevat is a Brooklyn singer, songwriter, producer, and engineer. Under the name Rainlights, she uses all those skills to craft restrained, intimate pop songs with an unpredictable depth. She has only released five songs so far, and each of them comes with a unique vibe. Our Song Pick, “Brand New Sneakers,” is on a double-A-side and deals with new beginnings.
The Oakland-based musician Madeline Kinney is also self-producing. With the first single, “Superficial Conversation,” of her upcoming fourth album, A New Reality Mind, she demonstrates how a pop song should sound in 2023. The track looks at past mistakes, but she also says: “While I wish I had acted differently, I want to be kind and forgiving to my past self and be able to grow and move forward with more power and love.”
Isimeme Udu, who goes by Naomi, records under the name Hemlock Springs. It’s hard not to think of Kate Bush at the beginning of “Sever the Blight,” but when the beat starts, all bets are off. It is a fantastic pop song, and the video is no less artistic and free-spirited.
Also Happening at glamglare…
As always, check out our favorite album page for exciting new record releases.
Savannah Conley’s album Playing The Part of You is Me is out. In case you missed it last week, read our Q&A with her here.
Bruce Springsteen has never had a number-one song in the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The closest he got was with “Dancing in the Dark,” which stayed at number two for four weeks but was kept from the top spot by Prince’s “When Doves Cry” (five weeks number one) and also Duran Duran’s “The Reflex” (two weeks.) Yet, Bruce Springsteen is not the only one: 16 iconic musicians who have never had a No. 1 song.
Last Thursday, we went to the all-female Icelandic showcase at Pianos. First up was gugusar, the crazy talented singer, songwriter, and producer, who is also a dancer, as we learned that night. We hope we have more to tell about her in the future. The second act was the four-piece GRÓA, which puts on a mind-boggling show. If you see them in your local listings, don’t miss them.
Nine Photos: Spring in Central Park
