How Do You Listen To Music?

Whenever I sit in the library at school doing homework, studying for tests, or writing papers, I always have music playing through my headphones. My preferred method for listening to music is by using Spotify. As an individual with a premium membership, I can listen to literally any song I want. I just have to pay a few dollars a month (thanks student discount!).

However, something I did not know is that my favorite musicians do not make any money off of the streams via Spotify, or Apple Music.

These streaming services are good for the consumer. As a user I get access to as much music as I want, but, the people who make my music get a few cents per play. If they want to make any substantial cash, they have to get over a thousand plays. Even if they accomplish that, they still only get a small share, because the money gets split between the artists, song writers, and producers.

To me, this does not seem like a fair operation. These artists, along with their songwriters and producers all work together to make music that they pour their hearts into and get no quantitative benefits. Sure, the love and support from fans is more than enough emotionally, but these are their jobs. Imagine going to work but only getting paid per each thing you did, not by the hour. How would you feel if you only accomplished a few tasks a day, and made only a few cents?

After all is said and done, I will still continue to use Spotify. It is easy, quick and convenient. All the songs that I could possibly want to listen to are right there in one app. But, there are still ways to support your favorite musicians directly.

Buy music or merch directly on their websites. Purchase the vinyl, the CDs, or even the t-shirt you were considering. It is the most effective way that I can think of, or, buy it off of a service like iTunes.

Hopefully, after reading this, you have a little bit more of a perspective on how much artists make streaming their music versus having it available for download. Both services are great for the user, but if you want to directly support your favorite bands, the best option is to purchase.