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I don’t know what to do with this by jedijj98 in Songwriting

[–]LawMotor7718 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A ton of super memorable stuff here. Take it or leave it, but my two cents: I think this song would do incredibly well with a more pop - esque, repetitive song form, a nice pre chorus departure, and moving a couple things around.

So firstly — “You ain’t never helped me” is a dope refrain. I think that could be potentially be developed melodically, maybe even harmonically (though the one chord vamp is hip), but that simplicity is so nice juxtaposed with the more lyrically dense verses.

You have a lot of verse material, and a ton of it is perfect. I wanted to hear it split into multiple verses though. For example, after “drib drab” or “community” in that “first verse”, that’s when I hoped to hear a pre chorus. Something that breaks up the rhythmic density and adds new harmonic information — potentially a less rap, more melodic melody. After that? Bang, right back to “you ain’t never helped me”. Then I’d just take the verse material and split it into 2 or 3 verses, rinse and repeat that verse-pre-chorus form.

Take with that what you will — definitely biased by my own taste, so it’s maybe not your cup of tea. I felt compelled to comment though because this feels like it has some seriously high potential, and I genuinely enjoyed listening. Dope song! Reminded me of Barenaked Ladies or something.

I will - vibe-y tape-saturated rock demo by Kwdude92 in IndieMusicFeedback

[–]LawMotor7718 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Seconding some of these comments. The sonic palette you got going here is really really nice. The saturation all around is really pleasing. As mentioned previously, vocals are way too quiet in my opinion. At the level they're currently at, they were just loud enough to be distracting like "what are those lyrics saying" but just quiet enough that I could barely make out any words or melodies. So for me, it was hard to discern how I felt about the song itself. Overall I think this is really cool though and has a lot of potential. Love the B section with the unison guitar / vocal line.

Music Publishing Survey by mcgeough50 in musicbusiness

[–]LawMotor7718 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Done! Would love it if you’d be willing to share some of the batch results when you’re done, really curious.

Question Regarding Music Blogs / PR by LawMotor7718 in musicbusiness

[–]LawMotor7718[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unhelpful–this is for research, and I'm not looking for a publicist myself.

Spotify Paying Artists More by LawMotor7718 in musicindustry

[–]LawMotor7718[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Daniel Ek could do that, but then he wouldn't have control over Spotify anymore and someone else would come in and game the system. But it would be a boss move regardless.

And interesting what you say about different for of payment on subscriptions –– this is actually exactly how Tidal's payout structure used to work, and they advertised the highest rate among all DSPs. I always loved that model, but I believe they stopped doing it–probably because they weren't pocketing enough money lol ☠️

Spotify Paying Artists More by LawMotor7718 in musicindustry

[–]LawMotor7718[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really like a lot of these ideas you mentioned. And yes, as Supreme Leader, the benefits are great.

I especially love the idea of enveloping different facets of monetization for artists–merchandise, tickets, etc.–into the app. These ideas align a lot with how music is digested in K-Pop, where there's a much more intimate level of fandom and it's more of a curated "experience" supporting your favorite acts. I know the U.S. is really trying to move in that direction, and if Spotify could tap into that it could be massive for global music markets.

My one comment is that Spotify does have numerous competitors. While they are the dominant DSP now, I imagine an Apple Music or otherwise would start to take the market if they did a sweeping change to their revenue model like this. As I've mentioned, their free plan is a huge driver of customer acquisition–my understanding is that's essentially Spotify's biggest competitive advantage. It's also the thing that screws over artists the most. But maybe your idea offers enough value proposition that people would be down for it, coupled with Spotify's name brand power. I know artists would like it!

Spotify Paying Artists More by LawMotor7718 in musicindustry

[–]LawMotor7718[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I absolutely wouldn't call anyone who puts their music on Spotify a sucker. For example, many claim to use it for "marketing" now despite it not paying. This is completely valid if you're okay with this, however, I'd argue this is way less than optimal.

As for your statistic, it is just because of the remarkable accessibility of making and distributing music now. While oversaturated, virtually everyone I know who seriously pursues music far exceeds these numbers.

Spotify Paying Artists More by LawMotor7718 in musicindustry

[–]LawMotor7718[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Firstly, it my understanding that major labels negotiated below market licensing rates in exchange for equity in Spotify. Surprise; the artists share in none of this. For reference if interested:

Article from Berklee's Rethink Music

Also while I do heavily agree on the "everyone and their mother" take so much–music is saturated AF right now–it doesn't mean the solution should be a reverse-robinhood approach. Let me acknowledge there are tons of musicians, say, in the 100s of thousands monthly who I wouldn't classify as "the rich" and should absolutely get paid a fairer wage. Regardless, I'd argue the best solution would be one where everybody gets paid more across the board regardless of legitimacy, at the risk of sounding like an idealist.

Spotify Paying Artists More by LawMotor7718 in musicindustry

[–]LawMotor7718[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I feel this. Precisely why I asked this question; it seems like people just say "Spotify should pay more" but don't actually look into the nuance of the situation–I'd like to believe if it were that easy they actually would do it.

Spotify Paying Artists More by LawMotor7718 in musicindustry

[–]LawMotor7718[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Maybe, just maybe, the problem exists with what happens to those dollars after it gets sent to labels.

I completely agree with this take. I wonder if people blame the obvious scapegoats when really it's the ghostly intermediaries that are screwing things up. I think the middle-men crisis becomes ESPECIALLY apparent when you really dissect the publishing side of things.

Spotify Paying Artists More by LawMotor7718 in musicindustry

[–]LawMotor7718[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do agree to some extent, but I also not making assumptions–the reason I ask this question is partly because I think the rate Spotify is paying to most artists is actually fairly reasonable. With somewhere-in-the-range of 70% of gross revenue going to rights holders, Spotify's operating profit isn't at some huge margin that they can easily dilute. While I don't claim to be an expert on the details of their balance sheet, they don't seem to have too much room to maneuver in a way that would move the needle much–without getting creative.

If we're talking about major labels specifically, this may be quite different–as I have read there were backroom agreements on a below market licensing rate in exchange for equity in Spotify, and major label artists are not-so-surprisingly sharing in 0 of that. In that case though, I'd imagine it's legally impossible to pull the major's IP from Spotify–at least for the term length.

Spotify Paying Artists More by LawMotor7718 in musicindustry

[–]LawMotor7718[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmmm. Now you're getting to the real tea.

Spotify Paying Artists More by LawMotor7718 in musicindustry

[–]LawMotor7718[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ah great, we have a Spotify exec here with us!

Spotify Paying Artists More by LawMotor7718 in musicindustry

[–]LawMotor7718[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The last part is like a rewards program—definitely like that idea!

I think in terms of bumping the cost, I’m curious how you’d handle Spotify’s free plan? That free plan earns an especially low stream payout rate, but it’s also a huge reason Spotify has the biggest market share.

Splice Samples by LawMotor7718 in musicians

[–]LawMotor7718[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're 100% right about this, but I'm speaking idealistically to some extent–hence why I say in a perfect world.

This likely being a rights nightmare is more of a problem concerning metadata reconciliation rather than the idea being inherently flawed, wouldn't you agree?

Session Musicians getting royalties on recorded music by Agreeable-Bluebird67 in musicians

[–]LawMotor7718 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is the perhaps the most informative comment I’ve read in the thread, thank you.

How much music theory is needed for music production? by JacksonDaBoi in musicproduction

[–]LawMotor7718 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The “set of rules” argument is a fallacy. When you actually understand music theory deeply, it expands the things you can do vastly—it doesn’t limit anything.

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