Comment Re:Artists paid 16 times as much for Spotify than (Score 1) 305
I agree that the conversation is hidden from us with a Spotify, but again, this is a business arrangement that I also had little say on, one way or another. If I insisted that Spotify give more to artists, then Spotify would charge me more. If I couldn't or wouldn't pay that, then Spotify could not operate, or it would pay out less.
If we believe that Spotify is actually greedy, as opposed to providing operating costs + a fair profit margin, then perhaps people can work together to provide another service that does want to pay more for art, but unless that was run with some business sense, that would fail too.
I don't really see art as something different than any other job. Many people do work that does not bring me any satisfaction, and many artists do nothing that interests me either. To do either professionally requires some sort of commitment. Both "normal" jobs and making art can require talent and often require work and resources. I'd rather be in charge of my own film studio, but even if I had ability, if I don't know how to make money at it, I'm not going to make films because I'll be starving and all my assets will be repossessed in short order.
There are musicians who are good business people, and if they have any talent, they can support themselves. Many do not have business ability, and therefore they need to rely on others. Which is fine, except when those people are not looking out for you. Perhaps instead of complaining about Spotify, we should work on simply taking up a collection for them and giving them money. Don't even bother associating it with a track you like, don't even bother with "ownership" or a license to have a copy of their recording. Just sponsor them.
I think people want the music business to be run like a Charity for Deserving Musicians With No Business Sense. If that's what you want, then don't make Spotify do it for you, cut out the middleman and just pay them as a benefactor or patron. If they start making crap, then stop supporting them.