Bradley's Website

In a recent segment on Bill Maher’s Real Time, Maher joked that Spotify will no longer be able to pay artists after the penny has ceased to be minted. While the clever remark gained a respectable laugh from the crowd and panel, I am not certain that it shouldn’t have a provoked a groan instead. There is, perhaps, a little too much truth hidden in that little statement.

According to Soundcamps.com, Spotify pays artists an average somewhere between $0.003 and $0.005 per stream. Assuming that an artist gets locked into a .005 cent per stream deal (ya know, a “good” deal), a little back of the envelope math would show that in order to earn just $5,000 off a song, it would need to get streamed a million times. This is a pretty tall order for most artists and an obviously unsustainable business model for musicians looking to build a sustainable career. This is one of several reasons that I no longer use streaming services for my music and have shifted to purchasing physical copies of CD’s instead.

But how does physical media translate for the artist? According to the RIAA, one CD sale is equivalent to 1,500 streams from on-demand audio, or roughly $7.50. When it comes to classification for Gold, Platinum, or other certifications, then the formula of 150 on-demand streams is equivalent to one download sale. Is this ideal? No. But the economics are, at least, a little better and there are worthwhile knock-on effects that take place when you own your music and actually feel invested in your purchase of it. But more poignantly, there is a strange psychological satisfaction I have knowing that the purchase actually assisting the artist in magnitudes greater than my subscription money. If you haven’t switched to physical media yet, I highly encourage it. Or, at least find a way to pay for and purchase music that you find yourself listening to the most on your other services. Ya know… support the arts.

I am okay with letting pennies get fazed out. Our artists, however, should be protected. Let’s not lose both.