Spotify Faces Backlash!

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In recent years musicians and bands bow out of using Spotify due to unfair treatment of their music with streams barely paying anything. Which streaming platforms are musicians and bands using now?

Spotify’s payment structure, which offers artists a mere $0.0003 to $0.0005 per stream, has left many feeling underpaid and undervalued. This has led some musicians to pull their music from the service entirely, highlighting the growing dissatisfaction with the platform’s treatment of creators.

Ricky Armstrong, an independent artist from Watford, shared his frustration after his 2019 single “Molly” received over 10,000 streams but earned him 70 percent of what he should have. “I don’t think it’s fair that while people can enjoy our music on Spotify, we are not properly paid for it,” Armstrong said. For many musicians, this low payout is not enough to cover the high costs of production, promotion, and licensing, making Spotify’s royalty model unsustainable.

He also said “ Molly made nothing and was removed due to false streams”.

Alan Warner, a former member of the band The Foundations, also criticized the platform, lamenting how the live music scene once provided more reliable income than streaming services do today. “Whether you’re famous or independent, we are all getting low pay for our music,” Warner said, reflecting the sentiment of many musicians who have seen streaming replace live gigs as the primary income source. While live performances once offered a significant income stream, today, for many, streaming is the main way their music reaches listeners — and it’s just not paying off.

Before Spotify musicians used to send in their music to radio stations via CDs and cassette tape and they heavily relied on the radio to get exposure. This frustration is not limited to independent artists. Iconic musicians like Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and Garth Brooks have also removed their music from Spotify, citing concerns over the low compensation and the platform’s lack of fairness. Their high-profile exits underscore a broader discontent among artists, many of whom are realising they can no longer rely on streaming platforms for fair remuneration.

The already low payouts, Spotify further reduces earnings by taking a significant portion of the revenue. This, combined with the high costs associated with making music — including studio time, licensing fees, and payments to collaborators — makes it nearly impossible for musicians to survive on streaming alone. As a result, many are forced to do other jobs to make ends meet. With dissatisfaction with Spotify’s royalty model growing, many artists are turning to alternative platforms like Bandcamp and iTunes. These services are seen as more artist-friendly, offering higher payouts and greater control over pricing and distribution. Bandcamp, particularly, allows musicians to retain a larger share of the revenue, making it a popular choice for those seeking fairer compensation. The ongoing backlash against Spotify highlights the need for change in how music streaming services compensate artists. Musicians are calling for a fairer, more sustainable model that better supports creators and allows them to make a living from their work. As the music industry continues to evolve, it is clear that the current streaming model must be reimagined to ensure artists are properly compensated and able to thrive in an increasingly digital world.

Musicians are now using platforms like Tiktok and Radio Airplay as they can get more exposure and sell their music without having commission taken when people hear their music.