Streaming services are bad news for classical and jazz musicians...and eventually their fans

Except that ad supported, subscription, streaming are paying crap, and people are opting for them instead of purchasing.

 

I didn't say they ever have.
I admit the music industry has been plagued by copyright infringement since the invention of the tape recorder, and that I engaged in it as a pre-teen in the 70s.
Legit streaming services are not an example of theft, though musicians may wish they made more money from them.

The real answer is that you can't stop infringement, that most folks won't make a viable income from streaming at rates people are willing to pay for it, and that musicians therefore need to find a way to supplement their living by providing personal services that people will pay for - and if you can't get enough lucrative large scale gigs, that means performing at weddings and house concerts and giving lessons. Or deciding to supplement your income with non-musical work.

But streaming services are a small part of the solution to all the easy ways for folks to illegally get access without paying musicians a cent, they are not the problem.

 

Streaming is advertising for concerts. To get 8% of your revenue stream for a vehicle that helps promote your brand and sell tickets seems pretty good to me.

I learned about Zoe Keating from some streaming service, bought her albums, and went to see her live in SF about a month ago.

She got a lot more revenue from me than if she had never been exposed to me via streaming.

 

100% agree. Live performances are the bread earners now, as it was for most of history.

 

Streaming is far from simply show advertising. Where'd you ever get that idea? You're also not taking into account the revenue lost from declining cd sales.

 

While what you say makes a lot of sense, it's very very difficult to be a professional, full time musician and have some kind of side job or day job. It just doesn't work.

 

"Really talented" actually means "practices a lot," which you can't do if you're spending all your time hustling to make unpaid auditions for wedding and banquet gigs. Meanwhile, jazz and classical music as cultural institutions die because no-one wants to go into them because of the attitude that if the general public won't volunteer to pay for it, it's not worth doing.

 

Declining CD sales? Did you miss the part where I said I bought her CDs and went to her concert because of the streaming exposure?

 

I am all for government and non profit support of the arts, but won't say anything more about how the government should prioritize spending and handle taxation, as this site is designed as a politics free zone.

And you really think auditioning for gigs isn't something musicians should have to do before they are famous enough to get a gig based on their name alone? I've spent a lot of unpaid time sending out resumes and going on job interviews. It's a fact of life.

 

You could say the same for being a writer or pretty much any artistic pursuit.

If one is primarily motivated by money, I would say one shouldn't pursue the arts (of any kind). A few get lucky, most don't. That's part of the struggle.

 

do you have any idea how much of an expense playing live is

 

Additionally:

Making it even reasonably big as an artist isn't just about musical talent. It's like any other small business built from the ground up -- to earn a living at it, you need a lot hard work, sweat equity, self promotion, ambition, luck, and entrepreneurial spirit.

Sonny Rollins once said he viewed album sales as promotions for concerts. Similarly, the more entrepreneurial artists will learn (and have learned) how to make the streaming model work for them to boost live performances.

If you doubt this, look at EDM artists, many of whom give away music for free (in part because they know their fan base are pirates), but get paid $200k-$500k per nightly gig in Vegas.

 

yeah that one sale will make all the difference

 

Yes, and it varies greatly depending on the venue, etc.

I'm going to see Chick Corea next month. I'm pretty sure he makes a profit on it.

 

Yeah, but you and me aren't the norm though.

 

What's your alternative?

Pine for the days when CD sales supported everyone? Those days are gone forever.

 

you're naming a person who isn't going to be annihilated by the change in the market. for every one "Chick Corea" there are literally 1,000 artists who are being buried alive. telling them to go on the road like it's some magic potion is just going to expedite their demise.

 

And for every 1000 Division I football players, less than 10% manage to make a lasting career in the NFL.

Entertainment is a tough, competitive business.

Being a successful musician, to the point of earning a real living at it (let alone wealth) requires more than musical ability -- like any small business built from the ground up, it requires hustle, dedication, drive, entrepreneurial spirit, creativity, ambition, luck, etc. to make it.

Just because someone graduated from Julliard and is really good at playing piano doesn't mean they have what it takes to make it as a successful artist, any more than every NCAA basketball player is going to the NBA.

 

Telling them to swallow their pride and network with some contractors that book wedding and bar mitzvah and corporate holiday party gigs might well help though. All things you can do locally so you can have a teaching business too. Accompanying gigs, for performances, demos and recordings, can also be a viable income stream. Many folks will pay talented people to accompany them even if they aren't turning a profit on a gig.

 

you forgot one other thing it requires: money

 

Yes, that, too.

 

And what method of employment doesn't? I work an office job. To get that job I had to spend money on appropriate clothing and grooming and transportation. To keep my job I still have to spend that money, plus pay for child care, and an annual parking pass.

If I wanted to start my own business right now, I'd have to keep my day job while getting everything set up and organized. I'd also need massively more money to afford to start the business. I'd have to network and get friendly with building inspectors, code enforcement, possibly city commissioners. Again, while balancing a day job.

And if I succeed, great! If I fail, I fail. If I can't pull it off, I can't pull it off.

What makes a musician any more special than anyone else?

 

Well, you're probably getting paid a living wage, for one, possibly with insurance.

And while I'll never be able to articulate this the way I want to, the arts represent the highest form of human expression and equating it on the same level as commerce or paper pushing seems wrong. Many cultures recognize this and give special benefits to artists (like Ireland giving tax breaks to artists). The US however is not one of them, much to our detriment. But hey, let's spend a gazillion dollars on another pro stadium...

 

People get paid living wages by doing something that fills a demand people are willing to pay for, not by doing what they love and complaining that nobody is buying their CDs.

 

So what are you doing on a web site about music? Isn't there some sprockets or widgets you can play with instead? Not trying to be a jerk, but the idea of art as a pure commodity like pork bellies seems wrong.