Why Not Spotify
Spotify pays badly, and most artists except for the big ones of course does not get very well paid. Thus making the prospect of bing a full time artist a very challenging one.
The reasons
Personally I have more and more tried to rely on CDs and buying tracks online for my music needs. The above argument being one of the reasons:
- Actually pay creators (that I listen to)
- Avoid paying creators (I don’t listen to)
- Own my own music
- Organise and care for my own music
- The app is not nice: crowded (I never thought it was)
The environement
A reason that does not make the cut for me is the environment/greenhouse gas argument. Not to say that
I often see a number mentioned comparing Spotify listening to some other action like driving a car for a set number of miles every month. I have two problems with this:
- the number quoted is usually not very large in comparison with many other things we do
- the number is in a way meaningless since no alternatives are presented; what are the options and their emissions?
It is obviously better to choose an option that is better for the environment, and in so far as this is true I agree with the reason. My only gripe is that the main argument presented for this does not make it apparent which is better; is it better to buy CDs? More live concerts?
Alternatives
Instead of using Spotify I am setting up and currently using a variety of solutions:
- local music collection streamable with Navidrome
- streaming clients for the above on my computers and phone
- old iPod with upraded battery
- renting music from the library
for video and movies I actually still use DVDs and Blurays.