What’s crucial here is that Spotify’s “top tier” number keeps growing in size. Spotify said last year that the 43,000 figure was, when it only counted 30,000 members. If we see a similar percentage rise this year, there will be over 60,000 artists earning “top tier” money from Spotify by this summer.
The growth rate of the “top tier” suggests that, by 2023, over 100,000 artists will be sharing 90% of Spotify’s payouts. Generally speaking, that’s enough money to enjoy a comfortable living. But then why, if more and more artists are making a living from streaming each year, does it feel like the overwhelming majority of musicians out there are furious about their pay from Spotify?from Spotify’s ex-Chief of Economics, Will Page, to a UK Parliamentary inquiry. Page noted that UK royalty collection society PRS For Music saw its artist/songwriter membership more than double in the decade from 2009 to 2019, up 145%.
These suckers! It’s almost like they’re paying a fee for exposure. And that’s just wrong, right?