I posted something earlier about how happy I was to see that Apple Music reversed their policy of royalty-free music sales for 90 days after Taylor Swift spoke out against it. A lot of people made comments likening it to the Metallica/Napster situation (rightly so, as it was very similar), or generally portraying her as a greedy millionaire. But this thing has absolutely nothing to do with the person/artist/business person that is Taylor Swift, just as the Napster issue had nothing to do with Metallica specifically. It has to do with the idea that music has commercial value, that it must be paid for, and that the artists must be compensated for it. So whether it's Taylor Swift, Metallica, or an unknown indie artist, the idea being expressed shouldn't be judged based on the person expressing it. It's valid in itself. Furthermore, think about how many indie artists said the exact same thing to Apple with no results. Taylor has a big stick, and she swung it. And it made something happen that directly benefits every single artist, indie or major, who plans to stream their music through this platform. So you can hate on her music, her bank account, or whatever you want to- but she just did a serious solid for everyone who is trying to make a living playing music. I can tell you this with 100% certainty because I'm one of those people. I might not buy her album, but I'll definitely buy her a beer if I see her at the bar.
This whole thing is specifically related to streaming, which of course is not a particularly lucrative revenue stream for artists. For those of you who want to very directly support the musicians you listen to, the best ways to do it are by buying physical albums, concert tickets, and other merchandise. The next best thing is digital downloads (iTunes, etc.). Below that is streaming. If you're going to stream it, paying for a subscription at least guarantees that the artists are going to see a bit of royalty money. [I hope this helps for anyone who was genuinely wondering how we survive.]
I can tell you that Snarky Puppy went almost an entire decade before finishing a single year in the black. We went through 9 years of fiscal loss, and I can name you a dozen other artists I know off the top of my head who have the same story or worse. Musicians don't it for the money, but we can't keep playing without it.
Thanks so much for your support! Really. We appreciate it deeply.
