Small Fish In A Big Stream: Local Artists On the Problem With Spotify
Statistics New Zealand thinks the average Kiwi household spends $29.40 per week on “alcoholic beverages, tobacco and illicit drugs”. Even at this ridiculously low-balled estimate, Spotify’s own figures show just 2.6% of their 7 million musicians made enough money in a year to pay for these essentials of daily living about $1,500.
When rock ‘n roll can’t even buy you sex, drugs or booze, you know something’s seriously fucked up.
For Radio One chart-toppers Night Lunch, being on a streaming service was vital, as “the default way people listen to music.” However, despite being on all the major streaming platforms, they haven’t exactly been raking in big bucks: “for us, a small band, we haven t made back what it cost to be distributed to streaming platforms.”
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What’s it like to be a drum and bass fan in New Zealand as the rest of the world still struggles to contain a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic?
That’s the question UKF asked me to answer for the worldwide drum and bass community and hopefully let you experience vicariously the current rave atmosphere in one of the few places in the world lucky enough to do so without restriction.
After attending and performing at a number of club nights and doofs over the period of a tumultuous 2020, everyone I spoke to said it was a surreal experience to be partying while knowing our global brethren were not as fortunate.