Our lively debate this week on the ecoustics podcast centers around how the Spotify/Joe Rogan controversy will reshape the streaming music landscape. At this time Spotify is still the dominant streaming music platform holding around 31% marketshare, followed by Apple Music (15%) and Amazon Music (13%) according to a Q2 2021 report. By the end of 2021 Spotify revealed 180 million Premium subscribers in their Q4 2021 financial statements.

With the most to lose, Spotify is doubling down on keeping The Joe Rogan Experience podcast on its platform for the time being, despite a trickle of musicians requesting removal of their music which started with Neil Young.

With music streaming platforms in the spotlight, the question of how much creators make per music stream is of greater significance than the debate of the moment. Most people may be be shocked to learn that tiny fractions of their subscription fee makes it into the hands of their favorite performers.

Is Spotify finding every loophole not to pay artists, or are their hands tied by the music labels and the competition? In 2021, Spotify collected over $3 Billion USD (2,689 EUR), but the company can’t even break even year-over-year. Where is the money going if it is not going to creators?

We do know $100 million of it went to Joe Rogan. But shouldn’t that money have been divided up amongst all the great musicians on Spotify?

This Episode is Sponsored by the McIntosh Group.

The ecoustics team appearing in this episode:

Ian White, Host & Editor-in-Chief
Brian Mitchell, Founder & CEO
Lauren Halliday, Music Editor
Eric Pye, Contributing Editor
Jeremy Sikora, Contributing Editor
Mitch Anderson, Podcast Producer and Host of Black Circle Radio
Emiko, Musician, Filmmaker and Video Producer

Credits:

Original intro and outro music by The Arc of All.
Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited.
Production by Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Studios.