Petal Explains How Streaming Services and Major Labels Hurt Indie Artists and Record Stores in Twitter Thread
Photo by Katie Krulock Music News Petal
Earlier this week, news broke that streaming service Spotify had reportedly overpaid artists in 2018 and was asking for a refund. To many artists, Spotify’s stance was a slap in the face; not only does the platform offer only the paltriest of royalty payments, but now their corporate greed was exceeding themselves.
With this in mind, indie rocker Kiley Lotz (of the band Petal) took aim at the corporation in a Twitter thread Monday, making some thought-provoking points and raising interesting questions about the state of the music industry. Her main takeaway is that major labels and distributors are cooperating with streaming corporations in a process that hurts not only independent artists, but also local record stores.
“In the streaming age, the best thing labels can do is sell directly to independent record store [sic] and foster those relationships. If you hear a record you like on Spotify, go to their bandcamp or to the record shop and order/buy it,” one tweet reads.
Lotz is quick to note that many independent record stores receive damaged LPs from major distributors, a byproduct of the poor handling and manufacturing stemming from the vinyl boom. The stores—which are mostly just trying to stay afloat in the streaming era—are as hurt by the greed endemic to the music industry as the artists damaged by Spotify’s poor royalty payouts.
Read the full thread below, then revisit Petal’s 2018 stop at the Paste Studio further down.
Spotify is a useful tool to discover new music. But between major labels cooperating with their appalling royalty payments and with major distributors horrible physical distribution procedures, the people hurting the most are artists and independent record stores.
— PETAL (@petal_pa) June 24, 2019
They cannot even get product in time for street dates and in store performances because the major distros can’t guarantee they’ll have the product to them in time.
— PETAL (@petal_pa) June 24, 2019
It allows for those businesses to know that those artists are reaching people and that you want those records stocked! Record stores are usually run by passionate folks who believe in artists and want to help them succeed. Spotify exists to help Spotify.
— PETAL (@petal_pa) June 24, 2019
I only learned this because an incredible record store owner sat with us and told us all about it. I was completely in the dark. I saw the room where they have to slice and stomp on records that are fine but their packaging is damaged and can’t be returned.
— PETAL (@petal_pa) June 24, 2019
I share this only because it matters and I hope it might help. It’s a dialogue I think artists and small labels and owners deserve to be a part of.
— PETAL (@petal_pa) June 24, 2019