Amazing songs on spotify

Oh dear, I'm destined to be the kill-joy here. Let me sum it up briefly: Spotify is BAD for musicians and smaller record companies. Lady Ga Ga had over one million plays, yet received only $127 - so just think what nonentities who are great bands get. I'm on Spotify, but I had no say in the matter. The record company said they were pressurised into it - don't ask me how, I don't know.

If you want to support those bands you like, go to their website and buy their CD from them. Then about 50 per cent of the income will go to them. iTunes is also a good payer. If I have an album on iTunes (I have a few) for, say, £10, I will get £7 of that.

It's not that I'm just into bands making money, but recordings cost THOUSANDS of pounds to make. Pretty soon the smaller companies will die off - in fact they already are.

Oops, sorry, didn't mean to rant! Just ignore me ;-)
 
Oh dear, I'm destined to be the kill-joy here. Let me sum it up briefly: Spotify is BAD for musicians and smaller record companies. Lady Ga Ga had over one million plays, yet received only $127 - so just think what nonentities who are great bands get. I'm on Spotify, but I had no say in the matter. The record company said they were pressurised into it - don't ask me how, I don't know.

If you want to support those bands you like, go to their website and buy their CD from them. Then about 50 per cent of the income will go to them. iTunes is also a good payer. If I have an album on iTunes (I have a few) for, say, £10, I will get £7 of that.

It's not that I'm just into bands making money, but recordings cost THOUSANDS of pounds to make. Pretty soon the smaller companies will die off - in fact they already are.

Oops, sorry, didn't mean to rant! Just ignore me ;-)


hmm we have this debate on my scene a lot, it mainly centres around some of the records selling for thousands of pounds with the artist receiving nothing of that.

Spotify is great for hearing music without the need to buy first, you get to listen then decide, though in saying that I don't have it, never wanted it or needed it... we have our own network lol
 
Rob - couldn't agree more re getting artists paid - I tend to buy CDs still, and rip then to lossless audio for my hifi, and then MP3 for my iPhone.

I do like buying digital downloads from the artists direct - I get them instantly, they make more money - win!

Which albums do you have on iTunes? - love to check them out :)

Spotify - useful for checking new stuff out - but the quality isn;t there if I'm going to listen to stuff on the hifi.
 
I've never used Spotify. I'm not an audiophile either. Generally-speaking I'm not too bothered about whether most of the musicians I like make money or not. Why? They's all dead, that's why! (For the most part, anyway. They's only one or two of them old Delta Blues men around anymore.) But I like to support the lesser-known musicians who deserve to--but don't--make a decent living. I have a friend who's making jazz-style albums. His stuff isn't my cup of tea; but I buy my friend's albums through i-Tunes. Another friend has a Klezmer band. Klezmer is hard to like I find. Yet I'll buy off i-Tunes my friend's Klezmer albums.

In short,...I'll stand in solidarity with Rob on this matter! (And based on the previous responses, I'm guessing we all do.)
 
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Which albums do you have on iTunes? - love to check them out :)

Well, thanks for asking. Not everybody's cup of tea, but you never know. I've just had a look on iTunes, and they have a few. I'll add a couple of comments to some of them:

Scottish Tunes for Viola da gamba and Baroque guitar - the viola da gamba is like a cello, but with gut strings and frets, tuned similar to a guitar. The baroque guitar is like a 12-string guitar, but with only ten strings, made of gut. The music is from Scotland, circa 1650 to 1720, is very relaxed, contemplative, very beautiful. This is the most recent release - just last year - and it reached number 18 in the Canadian classical music chart.

The Healing - a solo album of Scottish lute, cittern and guitar music from the 17th century. Reached number 1 position in both the Scottish classical and folk music charts, which tells you something about the music, mainly crossover stuff between classical and folk.

Flowers Of The Forest - ditto - also reached number 1 :-)

Graysteil - medieval music of Scotland with myself on lute, and others on harp and singing. Also reached number 1 in the Scottish classical music chart :-)

Recital: The Art of the Banjo - I unexpectedly took a left turn one day, and found myself playing 19th and early 20th-century banjo, kind of classical meets popular again. Some Gershwin type influences in there as well. Sold about 100 copies! LOL!

There are a few others as well. I don't play concerts anymore as I suffer badly from anxiety attacks, especially with travel, and can't fly. It kind of ruined my career. I've had to turn down tours of the States and other far-flung places. For the last year I haven't been able to get on a train - until my trip to Dalmeny last weekend (see the photos). That was a BIG thing for me! even though it is only ten minutes by train. Somehow the camera is really helping me, lessening the anxiety. Looking through a lens, or just thinking about doing so, slows me down and helps me take in the surrounding in a more relaxing way. Phototherapy!
 
Rob - amazing story - will check out your tunes on iTunes.

With the new backdrop to your photo outing by train last week, I can see just how great a day it must have been.

Fantastic that it went so well for you - loving the fact that having something like photography acts as a distraction, or a motivation, or both.

Phototherapy - we could all do with more of that! :)
 
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