This weeks blog post is something a bit different, a podcast Q&A! Over on the Sounds Like Streaming Twitter and Instagram accounts, I asked for some questions based on music, the music industry and streaming music. I really hope you enjoy the podcast, feel freeto give any feedback you may have down below! Thank you for reading and keep streaming!
Link to the podcast episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIn-7sQ–Ck&t=13s
Image from Pexels
YouTube first came to our screens in February 2005, founded in California in the United States. The site is known as the world’s most popular online video platform, with millions of people using the site to upload their own content as well as enjoying the features on offer. The platform allows musicians to distribute their music and therefore gain exposure and popularity in the music world. With 300 hours of videos uploaded to YouTube every minute and approximately 1.3 billion users, there is definitely a lot to talk about.
Personally, I use YouTube to watch new music videos from my favourite artists, to listen to songs that are not available on other streaming sites and to watch vlog channels such as The Nasey Family.As YouTube offers so much content in one place, you can find a new artist or vlog channel almost every day, its a never ending cycle as there is always something to watch. Through a poll conducted on the Sounds Like Streaming Twitter page, 50% of those involved said that they mainly use YouTube to watch vlog channels and 25% said that they use the site to watch music videos. As streaming sites are available free of charge as well, people are more likely to use these sites on the go, for example I use Spotify at the gym and have a gym playlist as I would not really watch music videos in the gym. However I do use fitness tutorial videos from YouTube channels, a benefit of YouTube as it offers not only music based content. Streaming services and YouTube can work together hand in hand and both be used for different purposes.
The site has been used by aspiring stars to post videos of themselves singing in order to share their talent with the world. We’ve all heard of Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes and The Weeknd, right? They are household names and extremely popular in the music industry. They all had to start somewhere and where did they begin their journey? YouTube. Through the power of the internet and streaming, these small, unknown artists were able to gain significant popularity.
Unlike most streaming services covered in recent weeks such as Spotify, many artists share music videos via YouTube to accompany new releases. This element can be exciting and enables fans to interact with their favourite artists in an interesting and diverse way, creating a strong fanbase. Every popular artist has a YouTube channel and would not really think about releasing new music without the site being involved in the release in some way, whether this be through a music video or campaign. Fans can interact with each other through the content shared on YouTube and voice their opinions and feelings.
YouTube is not only a video sharing platform, but also offers users a streaming service format with YouTube Music. The app, launched in November 2015, offers both a free of charge and a paid for premium service. The introduction of a YouTube based music streaming platform was inevitable really and was always going to happen. Streaming is the present and the future of the music sharing industry whether we like it or not.
Image from Pexels
Is YouTube really all it seems to be? Well, there are definite downsides of the digitalisation of all aspects of the present music industry and YouTube clearly contributes to this. There seems to be a constant ‘war’ between the platform and the music industry as record labels have become unsatisfied with the ‘relatively small’ fees that YouTube pay for music videos, compared to that of streaming services. Money is a huge issue that is always being spoken about in the music world and it probably won’t ever not be an issue. In 2016 it was revealed that artists had earned more from vinyl sales than payments from music video viewings via YouTube. This suggests that YouTube are taking advantage of artists and not sharing a fair profit from the advertising used around music videos.
Image from Pexels
Of course YouTube has definitely changed the music industry and has given our generation a new platform to share and stream videos, a site with endless possibilities. But we can’t forget that although we benefit from the free accessibility of the site, artists who use the site to distribute their music may not be treated or paid fairly which is an underlying issue. Really we have a lot to owe to YouTube, 20 years ago we would never have been able to switch our phones or laptops on and open a platform with millions of videos on offer for our entertainment, music videos only being a small part of the never ending possibilities of the service. Whether it be a trending music video promoting a new album or a video explaining how to set up your new Xbox, there is no doubt that YouTube really does have it all.
I really hope you enjoyed this weeks blog, the penultimate week! Next weeks blog post will be something a little different, come back next week to find out more! Don’t forget to keep up to date with all things Sounds Like Streaming via Twitter and Instagram.
Image from Pexels
In the music world, a vinyl record player is a classic statement piece for music lovers from every generation, both old and young. The very first vinyl record became available in 1930, known as a ‘program transcription disc’. Fast forward several years to 1948 with the introduction of the first ever long play (LP) record which changed the face of the music industry forever. This particular record was able to hold 21 minutes of musical magic per side and was a format to be enjoyed by millions of people around the world. But what happens when a new music sharing platform in the form of streaming is put into the equation? Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music. Goodbye Vinyl? Hello Streaming. Has modern day streaming had an impact on the decline of vinyl record listeners? Or has it actually been the push needed for the recent revival and popularity of vinyl records?
Image from Pexels
We are constantly consumed in a world of modern music streaming so there is no surprise that streaming is the number one format for listening to/sharing music. The likes of streaming superstar Spotify have in fact encouraged the ongoing recent revival of vinyl. In 2018, the Recording Industry Association found that in the USA, a huge 75% of music revenue came directly from streaming sites, representing the sheer power of streaming in the music industry today. In order to form a close relationship with artists, one in which they feel their voices are heard, streaming sites are promoting and encouraging fans to engage with physical music formats as well as streaming. These sites have a significant responsibility in forming a profile for artists’ and therefore have to consider the benefits of vinyl formats for artists. Deezer, a music streaming site based in France, believe in telling an artists’ story and that streaming and vinyl can come together and work side by side, hand in hand.
A recent report by ICM, suggests that streaming supports vinyl sales as people are looking to listen to the music and get a taste for an album before purchasing the vinyl copy. People are beginning to discover music through streaming and as a result of doing so, are collecting in vinyl format. In 2016, ICM discovered that 45% of people who purchased an album on vinyl had previously listened to it through a streaming site.
Although streaming has encouraged many people, in particularly young people, to purchase vinyl records, streaming has clearly taken its place in the music industry. Using vinyl records to listen to music is evidently inconvenient, you can’t just slip them in your pocket and go anywhere like you can with streaming. Unfortunately for old school vinyl lovers, the music industry has moved on with the times and what people want from their music and now prioritises streaming over vinyl and CD. This prioritisation is shown by the lack of popular albums available on vinyl format when they are instantly accessible on pretty much every streaming site known to man. The paid for music streaming industry is worth an astounding £829 million, 62% of the total recorded music revenue worldwide. When comparing this figure to the 38% of revenue which CDs and vinyls account for, there is little debate as to who the real winner is here.
There is no denying that streaming has quite clearly put an out of date stamp on the world of vinyl with the new technology meeting the needs of music lovers today. However, overall music streaming sites have been hugely beneficial for vinyl as they allow individuals to listen to music before they decide to purchase in physical format which could be the deciding purchase factor. The two music sharing formats offer a selection which can come hand in hand, one a more affordable format with a large variety of music which may not be as personal, and the other a slightly more expensive option but offering a more personal experience to engage with your favourite artists and support their work.
Image from Pexels
I really hope you all had a good Christmas and enjoyed this weeks post. Maybe you received or gifted a vinyl record as a present this year? Don’t forget to keep up to date with all things Sounds Like Streaming via Instagram and Twitter @sl_streaming. Stay tuned in on Twitter tomorrow to find out all about next weeks post, its a good one I promise! See you back here next week.
Streaming music has completely transformed the way musical artists make money from their music. No longer are the majority of people interested in being one of the first to purchase their favourite artists new CD in store. Instead, music fans have turned to streaming services to listen to music which has resulted in a significant decrease of profit for artists as they receive very little per stream. Due to music streaming, artists are beginning to change their music in order to fit in with the streaming world. More than ever, they are reliant on selling their merchandise and concert tickets rather than focusing on the main attraction, their music.
Surely as the artists are the ones making the music that we all love they should be the ones receiving the largest proportion of revenue? Wrong.
The launch of Spotify in 2008 saw a breakthrough for the music industry, one which benefited both artists and their fans. The service offered an unlimited variety of songs in one easily accessible place, as well as paying the artists very well for their contribution of music. All in all, the introduction of mainstream streaming sites were extremely beneficial for artists. However, these benefits were not long term and as expected, things began to take a turn for the worse.
Music streaming sites are easily accessible and affordable for the millions of users who use them as part of everyday life. However, for musical artists there is another side to the story. You would think that artists received a high amount of profit from providing streaming services with their music, unfortunately for them this is not the case. Streaming site superstar Spotify has found itself in moments of chaos with many musical artists such as Taylor Swift, Shawn Mendes and Justin Timberlake. This is mainly because the benefits of streaming for the artists are not fully taken into consideration.
A recent Twitter post particularly caught my eye as it makes an extremely valid point about the importance of money per streams for artists. The post suggests that if 1,000 people stream a song on Spotify the artist only gets paid a small £4, whereas if those 1,000 people were to pay £1 to have an unlimited access to stream the song, the artist would get paid £1,000. This is similar to CD sales, the artist will benefit far more from selling copies of their CDs than using streaming sites to provide their fans with their music.
Although there are many evident negatives linked to artists’ music being accessible on streaming sites, we must not forget the underlying positives. Streaming services allow a platform in which artists can share their music, both old and new releases, with millions of people around the world. For new artists, streaming is extremely important as part of introducing themselves into the music industry as people tend to find new music through streaming online and then share the music with their friends and family. Spotify also recommend new music through a ‘Recommended For You’ playlist every Friday which tends to include new upcoming artists who are fresh to the music scene. This word of mouth can significantly benefit new artists and increase their fan base. More artists are becoming exposed to a wider range of audiences as millions of people are able to access their music free of charge or for a small fee. Exclusive content can be found on streaming sites such as podcasts and extra musical content that CDs/vinyls do not offer, everyone’s a winner!
In general, 70% of a streaming service’s overall revenue is paid to the creators. According to Billboard this percentage is “larger than a typical record store, and in line with what iTunes pays on digital downloads”. Sites such as Apple Music have aided the growth of many artists in the music industry such as Khalid and Chance The Rapper. With help from the site, Chance’s album ‘Coloring Book’ became the first streaming-only album to enter the Billboard top 200.
Streaming sites may have been extremely popular with artists in the beginning when they were first introduced as they were an exciting new platform to share music, offering a decent pay too. However the harsh reality of using streaming sites for artists is represented through the minimal pay of an astounding £0.0038 per stream! Is it really worth it, especially for upcoming new artists who are just starting out.
Come back next week for a brand new blog and Happy Christmas! I hope you enjoy your Christmas and listen to lots of Christmas tunes!
Hello and welcome to the official blog for Sounds Like Streaming. My name is Lizzie and I am currently in my second year at Bournemouth University studying Communication & Media. This blog will focus on the effects of music streaming sites on the music industry and how streaming has impacted the way we consume and listen to music.
I have a keen interest in music and enjoy streaming music myself so this is an exciting opportunity to share with you all! I hope you enjoy the blog and don’t forget to keep up to date with the latest streaming information on Twitter and Instagram.