Dani Filth , vocalist of Cradle of Filth , exposed the disheartening landscape for professional musicians in the digital age and called Spotify "criminal."
In an interview with the Greek website Rock Hard (transcribed by Blabbermouth ), the artist discussed how fan consumption has drastically changed with the transition from physical to digital media. Currently, streaming platforms concentrate band catalogs, but there are numerous reports of how the financial return to artists is almost negligible in this model.
“I believe that 2006 was the year that everything changed, ceasing to be comfortable for musicians – well, not necessarily comfortable; it was never comfortable. But it became much more difficult with the advent of the digital age, the emergence of music streaming platforms that don't pay anyone. Spotify is the biggest criminal in the world,” he said.
To illustrate the scale of the problem, the vocalist used Cradle of Filth as an example: in 2022, the band accumulated over 25 million streams, but Dani Filth stated that he only received £20 in total, equivalent to R$122 at the current exchange rate. "That's less than an hourly wage.".
In the conversation, Dani Filth also addressed the public's misconception about artists' earnings, as if all professional musicians were millionaires. "I think people have this incredible ability to believe you're making a fortune when you have physical products for sale," she continued. "They don't realize there are many people taking slices of the pie – record label, manager, accountants, and so on… And nowadays, the reason people release limited edition vinyl and things like that is for collectors – they're the only ones who buy them; other people just play them for free.".
The outlook for touring isn't very promising either, Filth observes. "Gasoline prices have gone up. Tour bus rentals have gone up. The cost of living has increased. Yes, it's very difficult for bands right now," he said.
Finally, the vocalist explained that the public's mentality needs to change, since music is also a product and the livelihood of the artists involved, so it cannot be shared for free. “It doesn't help when people have this ingrained idea that it's not a privilege to have music, that music is something that should be given away for free. I mean, I don't go into a store and just grab, I don't know, a bunch of bananas and say, 'Well, they grow on trees. They should be free. I'm going to walk away with them.' I'd be arrested for theft. But it's okay for people to download… Even before albums are released. (…) The music industry is struggling right now. I still enjoy making music – don't get me wrong; I love it – but, yes, musicians these days are facing a million obstacles.”.
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