Singer-songwriters Graham Nash and India Arie joined the likes of Neil Young and Joni Mitchell on Tuesday, as artists are pulling their music from Spotify …
Singer-songwriters Graham Nash and India Arie joined the likes of Neil Young and Joni Mitchell on Tuesday, as artists are pulling their music from Spotify in protest over vaccine misinformation spread on “The Joe Rogan Experience.” But smaller, lesser-known artists who don’t always own their recordings and can’t simply leave the streaming giant are using the momentum to discuss other issues facing the music industry. “The focus initially starts on issues to do with Rogan,” Thomas Gorman of Belly, the alt-rock band that was the first to replace its profile photo and banner image with bright green “Delete Spotify” graphics, told Insider. “But I think what a lot of musicians and artists in our position are trying to do is use that as a way to open the conversation more into labor practices and usage.” The central grievance is Spotify’s “streamshare” business model that often pays about $0.0038 per stream, which independent artists have protested against for years. While artists are paid less than a penny per stream, Rogan’s Spotify contract was valued at $100 million. “Our problem is that the Spotify platform was built on the work of musicians and artists,” Gorman said. “For them to turn around and give a huge amount of money to a podcaster that is spreading information that potentially might prolong this pandemic.” A representative for Spotify did not return a request for comment as of publishing. For many musicians, touring is the sole revenue source left “in the era of streaming,” he added.
