It’s only January and the “debate” around streaming music services is quite heated. Currently, I am enjoying some old school Hall and Oates. A few days ago I was streaming this exact song and was quite pleased, happy, and shared it across multiple networks and generated re-discovery of an artist that most only hear on the radio. Today, that same song is preview only, really? Seriously? There is NO way I am going to go over to iTunes to download this song, I just move on to the next band that is ready to entertain me. I’m not the only one here, in fact this is a growing trend that will never be replaced, only enhanced. This “move” is solely about money, not art. You have to ask yourself, “WWMRD?” (What would Mitt Romney do?). 

It’s amazing to me that there are 3 artists that I really like (Coldplay, Snow Patrol, and The Black Keys) and have not heard one note from their records. Why? Because that listening experience is not where I live, which is Rdio. My “tribe” of music friends have not mentioned any of these artists, to date. We just move on to the artist that wants to be in the conversation and thus my consumer dollar follows that natural conversation. My wife and I spent 95 dollars on tickets to see Friendly Fires a few months ago via this behavior. It’s real and to deny it is like asking people to mail letters and bills again, or sit through commercials. Sounds awful, huh?

Spotify recently held an invite only meet up here in NYC to address the growing concern around Spotify eating away at iTunes revenue, cannibalization. Their study indicated that when artists pull their music from streaming services, share services and torrent services searches sky rocket. Amazing! Well, not really if you truly understand today’s internet consumer. Immediate, everywhere, anytime, shareable. If just one of these experiences is missing, we move on. Human nature, really. Sort of like asking the shoe clerk if they have your size in the shoe you KNOW you don’t need, if they don’t have your size…you move on. But if they do, you wear them. Live in them. Take pictures. Share your sentiment with others to the point one sale turns into 5. 

Finally, a recent mailbox share from Bob Lefsetz yielded this excellent email that really sums up where we are today and where things are going:

"I have made my own 45s/albums/cds for about 25 years (ever since a big time manager told me back in the 80s that if I would wear some spandex and poof out my hair he would get me a deal on Atlantic - he already had some other million seller groups there and was good buddies with Doug Morris) I told him to fuck himself and started making and licensing my own stuff over in Europe… I managed to get my own record deals over there and tour for the past 25 years or so …

The most any one record of mine has sold is around 15,000 back in the early 90s… judging from the hits at my website over the years I think I might have 4,000 to 5,000 solid fans at any given time… not many but they are super loyal!…

And guess what?…for about the past year when I get payments from CDBaby (3 or 4 times a month) 1/2 to 2/3 of the money is from Spotify! …There is also money from Napster and Rhapsody and the rest from iTunes… I love Spotify man!… It’s where most of my money selling music comes from at the moment!… It isn’t alot of money right now, but it’s enough to make a car payment or half my mortgage payment every month consistenly… I’m sure I’ll make alot more from Spotify when I am able to release some fresh recordings for my fans… The sooner everything goes to Spotify/streaming the better!!!"

Stream you later,

Kevin King

MusicHype CEO

Read more at Kevin's blog