FEATURE:
Back to the Old Ways
IMAGE CREDIT: DIY Musician
Should More Artists Eskew Streaming Platforms and Sell Their Music Direct to Fans?
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THIS year has seen many artists…
IN THIS PHOTO: Bat for Lashes
sell more vinyl and physical copies of their albums than ever before. I think the pandemic has enforced how precious music is to fans. Streaming sites continue to boom, though there has been little progress regarding pay models and how much artists earn. Despite action and demand from the music industry for change, the Government has been stubborn. I think we will see a move in the next year or two that treats artists more fairly. At the moment, it is really the biggest artists who command millions of streams who can make a realistic living that way. In a time when touring is still not possible – though that might change later in the year -, it must be frustrating for artists to see how little they earn through streaming platforms. An option to get around that is to sell music directly to fans. That way, more money goes to the artist and it seems like a more equitable and less complex method. When songs are streamed, I always feel like the label or management get more than the artist. Whilst that may be the case when it comes to selling vinyl/cassettes/C.D.s, more artists are realising that physical sales are more important and profitable. It is almost like going back in time and bypassing the digital method. Natasha Khan (Bat for Lashes) wrote a feature for The Guardian recently where she voiced her anger at how the Government is dragging its heels. Her experience is one common to most artists. During such a tough time, they cannot rely on streaming sites to pay them fairly. Therefore, selling directly to fans is an option that gives them more control of earnings.
“I’ve come to realise that the old models of making music are becoming defunct. I spent 10 years on a major label, and it was sometimes hard: I was signed to EMI by the two guys who originally signed Radiohead and Kate Bush, who were excited that I dabbled in lots of different art forms. However, they left and I was given the man who signed Lily Allen and Kylie, and after that I felt tolerated rather than supported.
I didn’t want to “go pop” or compromise my vision. Many of the artists I loved – David Bowie, Kate Bush, the Beatles – had been associated with EMI, and others such as Björk had also proved that it is possible to have commercial success and be unique and artistic. Had I been working in the 1960s or 70s I would have ridden a wave of avant garde work into the mainstream. I had three Top 10 albums, and Brit, Ivor Novello and Mercury nominations, but the whole time I was on a major label I felt like I was negotiating my art school philosophy of DIY.
I’ve joined Patreon to be able to connect more closely with fans, and for a small subscription fee, fans will be able to access original music, recipes, tarot readings, have creative mentorship or chats or see pictures of my paintings – artists such as MIA have also been doing it. In the past I’ve put postcards, stickers or handwritten letters in limited edition records, but this offers much greater opportunity to curate my own world as one might an art gallery. It’s my own universe, somewhere that can be audio, visual, anything I want. My incentives are to have a more direct connection and be creatively fulfilled.
PHOTO CREDIT: @fhavlik/Unsplash
For me, the creative spirit is a fragile thing, and when business gets involved it pollutes the river, and sets off on a journey that makes nobody happy. It makes me very sad that artists get interfered with. The three-year album-tour-album cycle means there are bursts of creativity and then long gaps and a lot of creative stuff drops by the wayside. I made my 2019 album Lost Girls with then-independent distributors Awal, and for the first time owned my own record. And from now on, I want to share music when I want, to keep pushing it and for more people to hear it.
I sometimes feel we’re losing sight of how valuable music is. I get messages on Patreon or Instagram from fans telling me how my music got them through a huge depression or losing a child. It was the same for me. When my father left home when I was 11 I’d just pump Nirvana’s Incesticide because it really resonated with that suffering, anger and frustration.
Similarly, I feel we’re affording less value to music, and that our culture is being let down by governments and institutions. I’m sure that if you ask any consumer who loves an artist, they would want that artist to be paid, but it’s not the consumers who decide what Spotify pays artists. The problem is with the middleman, and that’s what needs to change. You don’t go up to an ice cream vendor, ask for six ice creams and walk away without paying, but that’s how the tiny royalties from streaming feel. As we’re moving into a more digital age, it has to become a safe space for professionals to not be taken advantage of. Creativity must be properly rewarded”.
PHOTO CREDIT: Sam Rios/Unsplash
If there are options for artists like Bat for Lashes to have a connection with fans and make more from her music, then it sounds like a really good idea. I think that she is right in saying that many do not value music. Because there has been such a delay in rectifying the issues on streaming platforms, it appears like music is low down the priority list for the Government. I hope that there is much-needed change very soon and that we do not see so many artists struggling. In the case of Bat for Lashes and many other artists, they are using sites like Patreon to offer music and other creative projects for a small fee. It is offering a small glimmer of hope and a much-needed bond with the fanbase. I don’t think every artist should leave streaming sites, as they are valuable in terms of providing exposure. When things are changed and there is equality, then it will be better for everyone. At the moment, there are alternatives out there. I would recommend people stream artists but, if you have a favourite act, see if they have a Patreon site or are on Bandcamp and donate that way. It is almost like going back to times past in regarding to subscription fees and a non-streaming approach. Of course, the Internet is still hugely important - though Bat for Lashes is an example of an artist who is allowing this very transparent and simple way for fans to buy her music and show that many people do value music. Let’s hope that the Government and those streaming platform bosses…
PHOTO CREDIT: @zarakvg/Unsplash
CHANGE their tune soon.