Streaming services: an awesome way for massive libraries of music to be heard by those who might not experience them otherwise, or a manipulative pyramid scheme that robs artists of royalties and turns fans into ADHD casualties? As services like Spotify and Apple Music become more and more powerful, many musicians have spoken out against them, decrying both the disgustingly small amounts of money they provide artists per stream and the single-focused music culture that they inspire. But is streaming really that harmful for artists, and given that it’s the way of the future, is there any way to stop it?
On this week’s episode of our heavy metal talk show Last Words, hosts Katy Irizarry (Season Of Mist) and Zeena Koda (Everything’s Political Podcast) take on the topic of streaming alongside JT Cavey, frontman of Alabama metalcore crew ERRA. In many ways, as Katy points out, streaming is a huge boon to ERRA, given the band’s considerable pressence across social media and streaming platforms.
“You’re doing Twitch, you do YouTube, you guys are big on Spotify — you just cracked the Spotify Top Ten,” says Katy. “How has that been in this new era — pun intended! — versus prior to that?”
“Well, trying to navigate the business landscape of being in a band as well as the actual methods of getting your content out to people has…I don’t know if it’s changed,” says JT. “It’s shifted. Normally, when you release a record, you try to tour off of it right away so you can see the physical reaction and do the other half of your job. But since we haven’t been able to do that, I’ve been coming up with other ways to stay connected and stay involved.”
Check out the full episode below:
And if that didn’t make you want to delete your Spotify account and just listen to Morbid Tales on vinyl over and over again, check out the full, uncensored podcast version of the show below:
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Words by Chris Krovatin
