The Van Allen Belt

Spotify is one step further in the march to abolish artists’ last recourse in an intensely over-saturated market: artificial scarcity. You can pretty much split the debate over music monetization into two camps: those that want to re-instate artificial scarcity, and those that want artists to embrace other revenue streams instead. Some artists are dabbling in both, trying to reinstate artificial scarcity momentarily by limiting the content available on streaming networks for a short while so as not to cannibalize sales. Personally, I think either is valid depending on what kind of music career you’re shooting for. But what really bothers me about both Spotify and “piracy” (which are pretty much synonymous) is that both are hell-bent on taking that decision away from the artist. Nothing feels more invasive than having your livelihood reprogrammed by someone you’ve never met. The collapse of the old music industry and the subsequent confusion and job redundancy we’re all dealing with is often dismissed as a simple case of capitalistic evolution, but that is an irresponsible and insensitive synopsis. We mustn’t forget the catalyzing variable in this story: massive unchecked intellectual property rights violation. Grievances and shortcomings with the previous model were not handled within the confines of legal capitalism. This injustice is the reason that we consumers and companies like Spotify should be particularly sympathetic and sensitive to the needs of artists and, dare I say it, music industry folk right now. I know it’s not very hip for me to say that, but I think we should be clear about the behavior that led us here - whether you think it’s an improvement or not. http://gavincastleton.tumblr.com/post/18377455560/the-music-like-water-fallacy