Schammasch - Release Statement Targeting Spotify
You have probably seen all the year-end posts from bands sharing their total of Spotify streams on social media. Swiss black metal vanguards Schammasch have decided to go against the trend - while admitting that they had done it the previous year - and released a statement regarding the popular streaming platform. Their post was concluded with a link for the video of Iron Maiden's "Brave New World".
Schammasch first shared this quote by Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify:
"Some artists that used to do well in the past may not do well in this future landscape, where you can't record music once every three to four years and think that's going to be enough.....
"The artists today that are making it realize that it's about creating a continuous engagement with their fans. It is about putting the work in, about the storytelling around the album, and about keeping a continuous dialogue with your fans..... I feel, really, that the ones that aren't doing well in streaming are predominantly people who want to release music the way it used to be released."
Then, Schammasch commented:
"He speaks of 'storytelling around the album', because in his world the album itself doesn't have to tell a story. The 'story' he speaks of is the social media story, which is, for the bigger part, the bombardment of valueless hollowness in bright colors, disguised as content.
When he speaks of 'putting the work in', he speaks of the work that has to be put into everything that helps creating that hollowness, everything BUT the content of the album, because in his world, the value of the music can never be measured by its artistic depth, because artistic depth is just a fading gimmick that takes away resources which could be used elsewhere.
"When he speaks of 'releasing music the way it used to be', he speaks of musicians, in his opinion, wrongfully granting themselves the time that is necessary to create a release that inherits a natural depth and quality, because in his world quantity can never be overruled by quality.
"In 2017, Daniel Ek was named as the most powerful person in the music industry by Billboard. The truth is, the world of the Daniel Eks and Jeff Bezoses is the brave new world we're all part of. So let's just forget about Daniel Ek's face again and instead delve into Iron Maiden's classic from 20 years ago: Brave New World (Live at Rock in Rio 2001).
Schammasch first shared this quote by Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify:
"Some artists that used to do well in the past may not do well in this future landscape, where you can't record music once every three to four years and think that's going to be enough.....
"The artists today that are making it realize that it's about creating a continuous engagement with their fans. It is about putting the work in, about the storytelling around the album, and about keeping a continuous dialogue with your fans..... I feel, really, that the ones that aren't doing well in streaming are predominantly people who want to release music the way it used to be released."
Then, Schammasch commented:
"He speaks of 'storytelling around the album', because in his world the album itself doesn't have to tell a story. The 'story' he speaks of is the social media story, which is, for the bigger part, the bombardment of valueless hollowness in bright colors, disguised as content.
When he speaks of 'putting the work in', he speaks of the work that has to be put into everything that helps creating that hollowness, everything BUT the content of the album, because in his world, the value of the music can never be measured by its artistic depth, because artistic depth is just a fading gimmick that takes away resources which could be used elsewhere.
"When he speaks of 'releasing music the way it used to be', he speaks of musicians, in his opinion, wrongfully granting themselves the time that is necessary to create a release that inherits a natural depth and quality, because in his world quantity can never be overruled by quality.
"In 2017, Daniel Ek was named as the most powerful person in the music industry by Billboard. The truth is, the world of the Daniel Eks and Jeff Bezoses is the brave new world we're all part of. So let's just forget about Daniel Ek's face again and instead delve into Iron Maiden's classic from 20 years ago: Brave New World (Live at Rock in Rio 2001).
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Comments: 17
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| nikarg Staff Posts: 7354  |
Big set of balls these guys  (yes, I know my signature has a link to a Spotify playlist) 
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| Neachy Posts: 498  |
Wow, I've gained a new respect for these guys. Fuck Spotify. Bandcamp ftw.
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306  |
I don't disagree with anything they said, and I know this isn't the particular point they're trying to make, but it's still worth addressing that metal isn't a genre where money is the goal, nor is it even the unintended benefit. Aside from some of the more commercially accessible styles, and even those come with demographic limitations, this is a niche subset of music where even those who are among the most proficient with their respected instrument aren't compensated accordingly for their efforts. Talent gets you acknowledged, but it alone doesn't pay the bills. Ek may be contributing to the endless stream of vapid content creation and thereby blind surface level consumption, but he isn't wrong about the way musicians need to retrofit their approach if they plan on being financially rewarded through streaming alone. Unless society changes its outlook in regards to funding the arts and subsequently people prioritize disposing of their own income in exchange for listening to what those funds potentially helped create, most musicians will have to find other means of supporting themselves to see their creative ideas come to fruition. Or you can sell out and release a Christmas album.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| IBlackened Posts: 479  |
As if most artists can make a living out of Spotify. Fuck Spotify and this piece of shit. Fortunately, that doesn't apply to extreme metal, since it's not popular enough to survive through streams alone, so I don't think increasing your output would make much of a difference.
---- Their old stuff is better.
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| The Entity Posts: 545  |
As a fan I love Spotify, as a musician not as much...
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| Hyamendacil1450 Posts: 73  |
People forget how things were some decades ago and how bands and artists were coerced by their record companies to dish out album after album, year after year, on top of having insane touring schedules. You can read and hear this from the old bands and it wasn't pretty. That environment lead many bands to disband prematurely, numerous internal disputes and tensions as well a premature drop in musical quality in exchange for quantity. The Spotify CEO is clearly trying to avoid confronting the fact that his corpohoe ass is basically getting the bigger portion of the cake off a band's work and sweat, while leaving only crumbs and a stained plate for the bands to lick afterwards. He expects them to work even harder, release music much faster, with no form of quality control, just so that he can make even more money and increase the amount of crumbs left for bands to take. In other words, he wants bands and artists to work more so that he can reap even more benefits. Disgusting individual. Happy to see though that there are still red-pilled individuals and bands in the metal scene. A rarity nowadays in a scene that professes to be individualistic and nonconformist in theory, but in practice is far more likely to just follow the cultural and ideological trends popular these days.
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| metalbrat Posts: 930 |
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62025  |
Poweeful statement, i wish more bands had stand. Spotify is made for all genres, seems there iligal downloads slowed down a bit, but still its not good. I better use Bandcamp, i wish there were plattform run buy bands. Get money same way as Spotify, all incomes 90 goes to bands, 10 to service costs. Its utopia imo but good idea
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| Archie 666 Posts: 311  |
I've just deleted my Spotify account(hardly ever used it anyway). I will be using Bandcamp a lot from now on. Also, go fuck yourself Daniel Ek, you corporate cunt.
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62025 |
Written by Archie 666 on 09.12.2020 at 20:52 I have it, hardly log in. Tried on mobile, cant listen album, it did random songs, i get pissed.
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die" I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| barnesy Posts: 133  |
I never use spotify. I'm an ardent Bandcamper over 90% of the time. Once in awhile I'll use apple music. But I agree- for me it's all about quality. Quantity for quantity sake is detrimental to any given genre. Ask the hair metal boys about the early nineties.
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| Lord Slothrop Posts: 411  |
Bandcamp for me too. I recently installed Spotify on my computer, but only to listen to Rogan.
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| Ball Fondlers Posts: 513  |
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| Desha delicious dish Posts: 817  |
It's not like this isn't obvious really
---- You are the hammer, I am the nail building a house in the fire on the hill
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| Fabiano Posts: 74  |
I use Spotify a lot: when I work, study, play videogames. I don't have other way to listen to music which is more easy than that. I know Spotify as a musician is a theft, but as a fan is the best way to listen to music all around. I have premium btw. Since I made the spotify account I've been able to listen to a lot of bands that I couldn't have been able without it. I buy band merch and my favourite albums to support the bands, I go to concerts when possible. That's what people should do, not complaining about me listening to spotify.
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by Fabiano on 20.12.2020 at 18:02 These are important things to consider. I personally wouldn't have been able to listen to a lot of bands had I not signed up for a Spotify account (also a premium user) but I'm not about to think my 10 bucks a month is out here going directly to anyone other than Spotify execs. What the app has done is let me listen to more bands who I can then support directly by purchasing their music. I'd estimate a solid 1/4 of my 2020 purchases are due to Spotify's assistance, for what it's worth.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Ball Fondlers Posts: 513 |
I like that spotify sends me emails telling me that some of the bands I've listened to are touring in my area. That's actually shows that they are trying to support the bands in some way. There is also a "buy merch" button on the app. Next I'd like to see a "donate" money directly to the band button, or something like that (I don't necessarily want the merch, but I could send a few bucks via a click).
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