Up and down the music stream
It’s no secret that I’m not an apple fan, and I don’t mean the fruit. I have no problem sinking my teeth into a crisp, tart Granny Smith, or a juicy, delicious Macintosh; it’s the other kind that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I’m not going to get into the reasons why, because that could lead to fruitless debate, and I’m sure you have better things to do with your time.
One thing I have to give Apple credit for though, is the fact that they revolutionized the music industry. I’ve spent my entire adult life immersed in the radio/music business, and I’ve seen the complete evolution of music formats; from vinyl to 8-track tapes, to cassettes, to CDs, to mp3 players & the Apple iPod, which — upon its release — became possibly the greatest invention in the history of music. No matter how much I dislike Apple, I loved my iPod(s)!
But here we are in 2018, where now even the iPod is a thing of the past, and that’s fine, because digital and ondemand streaming is the current format of choice for the masses. The beautiful thing about that is, Apple is no longer the big kid on the block. The playing field is a little more “equal,” with services like Spotify, Google Play, Apple Music and countless free apps — like Radio Player Canada and Tune In — giving fans a ton of choices and features for a monthly fee that’s considerably less than most music fans used to fork out for a CD or two in an average month.
Sadly, no matter how awesome modern music listening has become, there’s still a major underlying issue that will always be present, yet the average music consumer is probably blissfully unaware of it. That would be the problem of artist royalties. While you and I get used to rolling through our custom playlists created from a seemingly endless selection of tunes at our fingertips, many of the artists, musicians and bands still aren’t getting properly compensated for their work and creativity & time.
This is nothing new, it’s been going on for almost as long as music itself has been around. Look at the late ’90s when Napster was a thing, then Metallica took the file sharing service to court and shut ’em down. It’s not like Metallica was having a hard time putting food on the table, and they were well within their rights to take action, but still. Most artists are still getting the short end of the stick to this day, simply because of the way music is distributed. Regardless of the technology that’s available, there is still so much grey area in the world of digital streaming that the writers/performers are still having a tough time getting paid properly because the protocol that could make it happen hasn’t been adopted yet.
Even though the digital age can provide the means for any band or singer or musician to succeed, it still seems unlikely if they don’t have serious business background, or a capable entertainment lawyer on their side. Unfortunately, the music biz will remain just as sleazy as it’s always been, until the major players find a game plan that’s fair.
For the average music fan, that’s not even an issue, but it’s a real struggle for those who earn a living off their craft. To go way deeper into this subject, check out this amazing piece I read last weekend - www.pitchfork.com/features/oped/howto-be-a-responsible-music-fanin-the-age-of-streaming
Until next time, enjoy paddling through your favourite stream.
Park Warden is the newest announcer here at 105.3 ROCK – on your radio WednesdayFriday evenings and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Streaming on the Radio Player Canada app and 1053rock.ca.