✘ Not so loud and not so clear - operating in the gray zone

And: Loud, angry, and indigenous; Data co-ops; Buying to belong; Limp Bizkit's UMG lawsuit proceeds to court; Computopia

In our current global political landscape we’re faced with the problem that two people can look at the same thing and see something completely different from one another. This creates a schism that’s hard to overcome because there is a total lack of shared worldview. I see a similar development in the music industry, where the schism often sits between those who appreciate growth of overall revenues and those who see that growth only benefiting a few major artists and companies. Now that we’re in 2024 report mode, I see this reach the surface quite a lot.

Loud & Clear

Spotify’s annual report shows growth! The most money paid out to rightsholders in a single ever! Since 2017 the numbers of artists who earn royalties on every threshold (from $1000 and up) has tripled year-over-year! The 100,000th ranked artist has seen there royalties by over 10x! The list goes on. The best one is how Spotify proclaims to be the best retailer for indies, because they pay out the most to indies from all DSPs. Meanwhile, MIDiA and Will Page also claim numbers go up for recorded music and all copyright respectively. It’s a great time to be alive.

On the other side, there’s those who question the underlying systemic models that make the streaming economy tick upwards. One of them is Liz Pelly, who recently said in an interview with MusicAlly:

“It’s maybe not the popular perspective in the business press, but I don’t necessarily see drawing venture capitalists into music as a good thing for music. The problems created by venture capital aren’t going to be solved by more venture capital.”

The enormous scale needed for venture capital to succeed means that every start-up is pushed towards platform economy models. A subscription business is great, but what other forms of monetization can be explored? How can costs be driven down? Those questions will forever circle a business supported by VC money or later by shareholders. Music disappears - however much marketing & PR would like to say different.

Or, listen to Hunter Giles from Infinite Catalog. Every year, he has an alternate take on Spotify’s numbers. This year, he shows how: Artist income is slowing! “All but the bottom two tiers saw double digit increases in Artists Per Tier!” “Artists generating $1m+ in revenue from Spotify are again gaining in streamshare at the direct expense of those below the $1m+ line!” Here, we clearly see how two perspectives can exist at the same time - it’s all down to how you present the numbers.

The gray zone

Here’s the problem with having opposing views that seem irreconcilable. It creates a vacuum where generally speaking it becomes difficult to create relevant initiatives and activities. This is not to make a value judgment to one side or another, but to stake a claim to acknowledge that all of this exists in the first place. James Bridle, in his book New Dark Age, talks about the gray zone:

“Living consciously in the gray zone, if we should choose to do so, allows us to sample from the myriad of explanations that our limited cognition stretches like a mask over the vibrating half-truths of the world. It is a better approximation of reality than any rigid binary encoding can ever hope to be - an acknowledgement that all our apprehensions are approximations, and all the more powerful for being so.” (p. 214)

What this means is that I agree with Liz Pelly that venture capital isn’t an answer to a question is posed itself. Yet, there’s also a place for the enormous amounts of money that VCs push through a system. We just need to find ways to action it appropriately. Similarly, I stand by Hunter and his interpretation of that same Loud & Clear data. My point is, simply, that we should not be blind to the non-binary, myriad interpretations out there. I’m not saying that Liz or Hunter are blind to this. I am saying that I want to stand in a place where I can take it all in and then collaborate with others to figure out what’s the best next step. All the while acknowledging that there are limits to my understanding. And yet, it can lead me to that bit of meaningful action that will make an impact for someone.

---

LINKS

📢 Loud, angry, and indigenous: Heavy metal takes on colonialism and climate change (Taylar Dawn Stagner)

“Although often associated with Satan, swords, and sorcery (and illegible logos), metal has always reflected on the environment and the state of the world. Indigenous bands have been part of the scene almost from its start more than five decades ago, but the past few years have seen a growing number of Native musicians writing about a wide range of subjects, from rurality to discrimination to the universal experience of having a good time despite all of that.”

✘ This is an excellent overview that I need to give MUSIC x collaborator Tristra a hat tip for, for putting it on my radar. It features not just one of my favorite bands in Divide and Dissolve, but also has some great writing about music. Something often sorely lacking in discussions the pertain to be about music.

🗂️ Data co-ops: a new model of data ownership (Sarah Nicole)

“Spotify’s business relies on music from millions of artists around the world, but it is neither governed nor controlled by those artists. Its governance, as a public company, looks far different from that of a local co-op or credit union.”

✘ I need to make another hat tip, this time to MUSIC x collaborator Nicolás. I think there should be more co-ops in the world and that this way of organizing is helpful in many, many industries and fields. This article digs into how this might work when we consider who owns our data and why.

🎰 Buying to belong: Youth and virtual assets in the metaverse (Criscilla Benford & Rachel Franz)

“Fortnite is a leader when it comes to deploying immersive ads (collabs). Participants in our focus groups consistently expressed enthusiasm for Fortnite’s collabs, especially the ones that involved musicians. Their enthusiasm centered less on the experience itself and more on the exclusive virtual assets associated with these events. Many spoke highly of the items associated with collabs, viewing them as potentially-prized parts of their in-game collections that they were “for sure” going to spend money on. Some even expressed regret over missed purchasing opportunities.”

✘ There’s a lot music and gaming can learn from each other, but this kind of manipulation shouldn’t be one of them.

⚖️ Limp Bizkit’s $200 million lawsuit: Copyright claims against Universal Music Group can move ahead in federal court (Thania Garcia)

“Monday’s ruling states the assessment of the copyright claims will depend on whether or not the band can successfully rescind their contracts with UMG, thus regaining ownership of the copyrights. Judge Anderson previously denied Durst‘s first attempt to have these contracts voided in a January ruling, however, his latest decision will reopen that debate.”

✘ This one isn’t going away yet, and I’m very curious where this will end up.

🖥️ Computopia (Justin Hall)

“I look at the net as a neighborhood. I want to live in a neighborhood with funky houses, neighbors who greet me on the street and have something to say. Not amidst office sky-disgracers, plastered with useless billboards and littered with forgotten glossy flyers. I want my house to have a warm glow, like people really live there. I have given my online space a human feel with honest and revealing material, publishing even the painful parts, because cyberspace will only be funky if it reflects our joys and sorrows. Anything else is sanitized, alienating and just not any fun at all.”

✘ I love this take on the Internet from 1995. It’s still so prevalent today, and with each new iteration and development (hello, AI chatbots, vibe coding, etc.). I think this notion of living in funky neighbourhoods continues to be something we need to actively work towards. We’re not helped by the major companies, which all chase samedom.

---

MUSIC

Loraine James is among my favourite producers. Consistently hitting high notes across different sounds, labels, releases, live sets. Simply an astonishingly talented artist who also happened to have found their way into this multi-shaped dragon. As Whatever the Weather, Loraine makes a climate statement. This new record takes temperature as measure of how the songs feel. Dig in and listen to all the hardware Loraine chips and chops at and with.