Blogging Question 4: Making Peace with Spotify

I have been an avid music collector for nearly 30 years and my music collection holds the same sentimental value and emotional connection as a photo album or box of souvenirs. While I have hard rives full of digital files, a large number of CDs, a box of tapes from my cassette days, my favourite and go-to format from the age of 11 has been vinyl. I own my collection, it is a part of me, sometimes I think my collection owns me. I am going to avoid getting into too much detail about records here and concentrate on my recent forays into streaming and digital services*. I only say this as it gives context to why I was reluctant to experiment with streaming... 

A little over a year ago I joined Spotify. It wasn't an easy or quick decision; I was well aware of the pitiful royalties artists make in contrast to the huge revenue Spotify generates. I was really digging in my heels, insisting “You will never take away my records!” The reason I finally subscribed was the urging of a close friend and former bandmate in Ireland . He encouraged his brother and I to join up so we could all share playlists. It seemed like a fun idea and I had a free three-month trial to scope it out. The first playlist I made was all the covers we used to play in the band (all but two of the songs were in the database). So I began to soften my stance… 

The three of us now make playlists every month of the new music we are listening to and the long-loved music we have been reminded of - it's a regular and rewarding ritual. We do an end of year mega-list which is fun too. I think our general communication has become much more regular since we started making lists on Spotify, which has been an added surprise. When I finally got to be in the same room as them both (for the first time in 8 years!) this summer, we built a playlist while we were hanging out, taking turns, trading song for song, going on a wonderful musical journey; I revisit that list often. 



The ease and flexibility of the platform makes the miles between us all disappear. However, the odd track on my overseas friends' playlists are greyed out on my app; it appears that copyright and licensing restrictions can easily resurrect the borders between us. Not a huge deal, in the case pictured below, I own the song on at least three formats. I had originally put it on a mixtape for my friend back in the late 90s and this was him reminding me of those days. Even though I didn't hear it on the playlist, it still brought back memories. My fear is that we enter a situation which mirrors that  Netflix, where the streaming service is the sole source for specific content. There are instances of this occurring in Spotify (see the exclusive interview track embedded below) and Apple music. 

An example of a song available in the UK and Ireland but unavailable in Canada due to licensing issues.

In a  recent a podcast interview  with Dan Le Sac, the producer mentioned that he mainly plays music on Spotify which he already owns, and claimed that in playing the tracks via Spotify he was generating an additional revenue for the artists, albeit a small one. This has helped me make peace with myself a little as it reflects some of my habits too. I cmae to realise that while music sales have traditionally generated income for artists, the repeated playback of tracks by the public has not. My experience is that I have been purchasing even more music since I have been on Spotify. I slowed down a bit the last couple of months; having kids and a house and a Masters to finish leaves little room or funds for record buying. But  Spotify makes me value (and covet!) physical releases even more. Musician David Bazan mentions similar experiences with Spotify here:

  

My issues with Spotify remain: I detest the the lack of meaningful artwork and the paucity of information on a release (I’m someone who simply must know who played bass on track 3); I get really annoyed when tracks are missing, as my monthly lists can’t fully reflect my listening habits; I hate the feeling of being lured into a service that attempts to a one-stop destination for music; the disconnect between revenue generated and royalties paid to artists. But despite my reservations, I find Spotify is a great accompaniment to owning music, if not a viable replacement. When I think about unsubscribing (the $10 I spend on Spotify each month is money I could spend on records!), I don’t think about losing access to music, I think about losing that regular connection with my friends.The service Spotify eventually sold me was not one that replaces ownership but one which aids communication.  I'm not sure if that is their intention.

Lest I sound too much like a Spotify-apologist, I will mention as a post-script some observations of my experiences over the last month with physical formats which would not have occurred if this particular subscription based services were my sole source music:

• Discovering a Beastie Boys sample on a 70s Moog record I picked up at Value Village.
• Hearing the vinyl-only acoustic demos of an album which (IMHO) outshine the official release.
• Enjoying the digital version of a vinyl pre-order, knowing that more money went to its creator.
• Revisiting several albums which I paid for, didn't particularly connect with on the first few listens, but kept trying as I had spent money on them. Something I don't do on streaming, it is too easy to keep on clicking.
• Finally listening to an ambient sound effects record I picked up at a garage sale but had never put on, based on a feature I read in Pitchfork.

*I did start to write about my records and started another long tangent on artists making material hidden after a period of time on Bandcamp but I will need to save those for another day…