[ENG.] Streaming subscription prices will soar, but to whose benefit?
Discover more from www.couacs.info
[ENG.] Streaming subscription prices will soar, but to whose benefit?
Cet article est bien sûr également disponible en français sur www.couacs.info
The Majors seem to be pleased that streaming service subscription prices are on the rise, and that this trend is set to continue.
In fact, even before the implementation of the disastrous Franco-French streaming tax to finance the Centre National de la Musique the major streaming services, starting with Spotify, recently announced increases in their subscription prices.
However, as I explained earlier, the increase in the platforms' revenues always remunerates the rights holders on a pro rata basis; in other words, the additional money collected from subscribers, far from going into the pockets of the services for their development, goes first into those of the rights holders and only then, and to a lesser extent, into the platforms' revenues.
These future increases in the revenues of rights holders, if achieved without prior reform of the distribution of revenues for minority repertoires, i.e. cultural repertoires :
through new subscription options
and the simultaneous implementation of a new value-sharing system
will further enrich the Kings of pop in the broadest sense, not so much to the detriment of specialized repertoires (they represent so little money in comparison!) - but by once again postponing the advent of a reasonable economic model for cultural repertoires until the Greek calends.
Faced with this situation, there are two possible attitudes when you're in charge of specialized repertoires, whether you work for a Major or an independent, and you're responsible for the cascade of artists' and ensembles' revenues, at a time when subsidy revenues are dwindling:
Thinking that the Majors and the big pop independents know what's good for the whole business, and continuing to follow in their footsteps without flinching, validating the fact that, by dint of millions of subscribers, specialized repertoires will eventually reach a reasonable income level...
Wake up, and put pressure on both platforms and colleagues to finally put the issue on the agenda.
With an annual salary of around 30 million euros, Universal Music boss Lucian Grainge is a kind of prototype of the arrogant potentate.
François Ruffin [ a leader of the far left in France ] has certainly never heard of him, and Los Angeles is a long way to go to protest. Grainge may have declared at the start of the year that "The economic model for streaming needs to evolve", but he's got time on his hands and doesn't seem to be in any hurry to make the famous model evolve.
With each passing month, the company he oversees will have a little more money to pay for other interesting independent labels. And he'll always be thinking about enabling labels and musicians who don't want to be eaten up by Universal Music to make a decent living in an industry where Majors and major streaming services dance an inseparable “pas de deux”.
If you found this article interesting, please share it with your friends. Just click on the button below.
ᴡᴡᴡ.ᴄᴏᴜᴀᴄs.ɪɴғᴏ
ᴇsᴛ ᴘʀᴏᴘᴜʟsé ᴘᴀʀ ʟᴀ ᴘʟᴀᴛᴇғᴏʀᴍᴇ sᴜʙsᴛᴀᴄᴋ.ᴄᴏᴍ, ᴄʀéée ᴘᴏᴜʀ ғᴀᴠᴏʀɪsᴇʀ ʟ’ᴇxᴘʀᴇssɪᴏɴ ᴅ’ᴜɴ ᴊᴏᴜʀɴᴀʟɪsᴍᴇ ᴅ’ᴇxᴘᴇʀᴛɪsᴇ ғɪɴᴀɴᴄé ᴘᴀʀ sᴇs ʟᴇᴄᴛᴇᴜʀs.