Musicians Talking About Spotify
What do your favorite musicians think about Spotify and streaming? Find out in this Loud List.
You may assume Metallica’s Lars Ulrich hates Spotify due to his infamous crusade against Napster, but in 2013, Ulrich was one of Spotify’s biggest fans. He even praised Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, calling him a “great man” who has “a great soul.”
One of Spotify’s most vocal objectors is KISS’ Gene Simmons. While appearing on Fox Business, Simmons said that Spotify was one of various companies that has trained fans to believe that music is free. “You’re killing the next Beatles,” Simmons claimed. “My daughter, Sophie Simmons, had a ten-million viewed single last year. She made $214. Spotify’s taken all the money. The acts are taking a small percentage of one penny per download, which is a crime.”
Steve Vai’s opinion of Spotify and streaming falls somewhere in the middle of Ulrich and Simmons. Having seen the future coming from a mile away, Vai took hold of his own publishing and made streaming work for him. The guitar great breaks down his three viewpoints on streaming in an exclusive clip from a 2017 Loudwire panel.
Watch Musicians Talking about Spotify in the Loud List below.